Paired Panel Glass Wall in Thompson-Boling Arena | Modernfold

Modernfold manufactures operable partitions, glass wall systems and accordion doors, specified and installed through licensed local distributors. At the University of Tennessee, distributor William S. Trimble Company worked with architecture firm Studio Four Design and general contractor Merit Construction on the renovation of the Harper Auto Square Courtside Club at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center.

The project

The arena — home to the Volunteers' basketball and volleyball programmes as well as national touring acts — underwent a series of upgrades, among them the Courtside Club and its Ray Mears Room, named after the Tennessee basketball coach. The Club offers a VIP experience with pre-game refreshments and half-time hospitality, and the Ray Mears Room was reconceived with a contemporary character carrying the university's identity through it. The space had to host visiting groups, recruits and alumni, and to change configuration as the programme of each event required.

The product in use

After consulting with Studio Four, the distributor identified two requirements that had to be met together: flexibility to reconfigure the space as daily needs changed, and acoustic control for guests expecting a degree of privacy. A glass operable wall answered both without closing the space off visually, and an Acousti-Clear® system rated at 45 STC was specified.

The configuration was chosen for the way the space is operated. Paired panels reduce the number of movements required to set up or open the wall, which matters where staff are turning the room over between events rather than leaving a configuration in place. Automatic seals engage as panels are advanced into one another, so acoustic performance does not depend on a separate operating step. The frames were finished in black powder coat RAL satin to match the interior design rather than to stand apart from it.

Coordination

Two detailing decisions shaped the installation. The distributor advised Studio Four on the number of panels in the run, balancing the way the space needed to be divided against the project budget. The team also worked with Merit Construction on the track header, since the arena's tall ceilings meant the support condition above the wall had to be resolved specifically rather than taken as standard — a coordination point common to operable walls in arena and assembly buildings.

Continuity

The university has continued to specify Modernfold products, with an installation of Acousti-Seal® Encore® and Legacy® operable walls planned for its College of Nursing building.

Technical documentation and brochures for the Acousti-Clear® glass wall family are available from the manufacturer. Click here to download.