Structural PVB Interlayer in Academy Museum | Saflex

Located in Los Angeles, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is as unique as the industry it represents. The museum's glass rooftop dome required the structural capacity found in Saflex Structural PVB Interlayers.

Designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop, the museum's glass bridges lead to the glass dome, designed for viewing the stars. The all-glass top half of the sphere resides over a rooftop terrace with views of Los Angeles and the Hollywood Hills.

Design

The dome design required careful attention to material selection and design detail and lasted several years. Knippers Helbig Advanced Engineering designed a unique system to accommodate the complex geometry and high load requirements of the dome.

The glass rooftop dome consists of a single-layered, braced steel structure covered in shingled glass panels—two panes per grid manufactured with Saflex Structural (DG41) PVB Interlayers and installed by Permasteelisa North America. While the inner glass pane is supported by an invisible, custom dead-load pin connection, the outer glass pane is supported by the interlayer.

Saflex Structural protects the dome against delamination, preserving its appearance. Low-iron glass without a coating created the final effect. The dome’s superstructure is supported by base isolators, which allow the structure to move up to one meter during the swaying and racking that occurs in a seismic event.