Completed in 2011

The Mercedes House offered the unique challenge of matching the aesthetic and architectural language created by Ten Arquitectos, while maintaining a building system that could be easily produced and systematically delivered. A driving factor in the design of the envelope was the client’s desire to conceal the window frames, allowing the façade to appear as an uncut sheet of glass resting behind a terra cotta rainscreen. 

Additionally, the project featured a compilation of elements which contributed to the complexity and execution of a typical panelized façade system. The project is designed as a residential tower, but also incorporates a public showroom and machine shop for Mercedes Benz that are contained within a three-story plinth alongside the building’s street front.

Built in 2011, this was the pilot project for Island’s newly developed V-1 Extrusion Panel Framing System. This system allows the typical outboard-insulated unitized façade to aggregate on site, while creating an immediate watertight four-way intersection at the panel joints. This negates the need for additional caulking on the façade, helping to streamline the erection process for the Mercedes House. 
The unitized façade is disguised though the addition of perforated metal screens at the exterior PTEC systems, which are engineered to provide optimum airflow to each unit. By working with the window manufacturer, Island’s engineers were able to create an unusually narrow panel frame to window mullion extrusion, granting further freedom to the designers during the placement of the joints.