Profiled Glass at Franklin & Marshall College's Visual Arts Center | Lamberts

Lamberts manufactures profiled glass solutions designed for durable, high-performance architectural applications across façades and exterior building envelopes. LINIT® U Glass, specifically LINIT® EcoGlass P 26/60/7 low-iron TH (toughened, heat-soak-tested) in combination with translucent insulating material (TIM), from Lamberts was used in the Winter Visual Arts Center at Franklin & Marshall College, located in Lancaster, USA.

The Winter Visual Arts Center houses the Art, Art History, and Film Department, serving as a hub for creative activity on campus. Designed by Steven Holl Architects, the building draws on the college’s motto Lux et Lex (“Light and Law”) and is conceived as a lightweight counterpoint to the heavy brick architecture of the 1856 Old Main building. A gradual exterior ramp connects Old Main’s axis to a second-floor entrance, while a ground-level entry faces the newly formed Arts Quad. The building integrates seamlessly with the campus’s arboretum, lifting the main floor among large-diameter trees and opening the ground level to the park and reflecting pool. Its design activates the southern end of the campus and reinforces the historic campus axis while extending connections to the town.

The exterior facade features LINIT® EcoGlass P 26/60/7 low-iron profiled glass combined with translucent insulating material (TIM). The durable, high load-bearing glass supports the building’s lightweight, elevated geometry, while allowing abundant natural light to penetrate interior spaces. Custom thicknesses, web widths, and flange heights enabled the glass to meet both structural and aesthetic requirements. At night, the glowing facade reflects in the adjacent water, emphasizing the building’s hovering presence and integration with the natural landscape. This profiled glass solution reinforces the Winter Visual Arts Center’s role as a luminous, engaging landmark on campus.