SentryGlas® in American Dream Retail Complex | Kuraray

American Dream, a retail and entertainment complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey opened with a major revamp in 2019. The external façade of the building has been completely redone. A large section of the building's roofline was also replaced with a 99 x 239 ft (30 x 73 m) barrel-vault skylight, using the Pilkington Planar™ system. SentryGlas® high-performance laminated glazing from Kuraray was chosen for both its functional and aesthetical characteristics.

Design concept

The connecting area, that bridges the complex houses with high-end retailers was not a welcoming space. The architect, working with the owners, wanted to create a space that felt open and expansive. Glass was chosen to do this as a means to maximize light and bring the sense of an outdoor space into the inside area.

Design challenges

There were many challenges faced by the architects, both structural and environmental. The original design had an internal steel support structure, which sat underneath the glass, and utilized a glass mullion system for the skylight. The architects chose rather to use the Pilkington Planar™ point-supported system, which instead, makes use of round, rolled steel arches, that are 16 inches in diameter, from which the glass panels are suspended. This allowed for greater transparency, better suited to the original concept. To meet the challenges of light transmittance and solar control, the glass used included both a low-e coating and the SentryGlas® interlayer.