Opened in 1928, the Detroit Zoo is the largest paid family attraction in Michigan with more than 1.3 million visitors annually. It’s home to more than 2,500 animals of 280 species, and situated on 125 acres with many naturalistic habitats. Challenge: The Detroit Zoo’s Great Ape exhibit had a series of old dome skylights in… Read more »
Case Studies
Wasco has provided unique solutions to an array of architectural challenges for homes, remodeling, commercial spaces and other structures that require exceptional daylighting design. View energy saving solutions, unique glass designs, innovative technology, and stunning custom units.
Architectural Series – Pinnacle 350 Structural Ridge System
Broadwater II was part of a larger compound of cottage style houses on the neck of the Magothy River. Challenges: “It was important to blend the architectural aesthetics and detailing with the established cottage style homes in the neighborhood,” said architect Scarlett Breeding. “We wanted the new home to flow seamlessly into the garden and… Read more »
Horizon C-Series Standing Seam Polycarbonate Canopy System
History: Declared a National Historic Landmark in 1987, the Playland “Ice Casino” was built in 1929, originally containing a main ice rink as well as a full dance floor on the second level that functioned as a dance hall through the 1940s and ’50s. It also had a full-service fine-dining restaurant and an outdoor café…. Read more »
Electrochromic Glass – US Naval Academy, MacDonough Hall
Challenge: A leaky metal roof at the U.S. Naval Academy’s MacDonough Hall, one of the original buildings on the Naval Academy’s campus, needed a new roof, and the academy saw this as an opportunity to improve the building’s energy performance and maximize daylighting in the process, bringing healthy, natural daylight to the dreary interior. External… Read more »
Pinnacle System, Solar Blue Tint Low-E Glazing – Equity Trust Company
Challenge: The Equity Trust Company had outgrown its previous offices and decided to consolidate its operations by completely renovating a five-story, former medical office space in Westlake, Ohio. The major challenge was to open up the five-story atrium and bathe the office spaces with as much natural daylight as possible, which had been blocked for… Read more »
Horizon S-Series and V-Series Translucent Polycarbonate Systems
Challenge: The Cassandra Voss Center was built in 2013 to honor Cassandra J. Voss, whose life was cut tragically short in 2007. She was on track to be the first St. Norbert student to complete an individualized major in women’s and gender studies. The center is a vibrant and collaborative learning environment for the study… Read more »
Horizon S-Series Pinnacle 350 Double Pitch Skylights
Challenge: The project location was an active hotel in the very crowded and congested Union Square area of San Francisco, with no available street parking. Work hours were restricted due to the fact that the hotel was fully operational at the time. To further complicate matters, there was no access to the roof and all… Read more »
Pinnacle 600 Double Pitch with Translucent Insulated Glass
Challenge: As part of a school district’s effort to refurbish and refresh their many instructional buildings, it was determined that portions of the roof at the Jamesville-DeWitt High School in Upstate New York needed to be replaced, including the skylight over the Media Center. Since the space already contained a metal framed skylight central to… Read more »
EcoSky3 Unit Skylights – City of Vallejo, CA Library/Fire Station
Challenge: As part of city of Vallejo’s effort to refurbish and repair the Springstowne Library / Fire Station roof, it was determined that the roof needed to be replaced and brought up to Title 24 specifications. The project also included cutting out the existing metal counter flashing, then removing and replacing the ten skylights over… Read more »
Continuous Vault System with UV Blocking Acrylic
Challenge: The Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute’s Museum of Art was originally designed by world-renown architect Philip Johnson, one of the co-designers of the Seagrams building in New York city, once described by the New York Times as “the millennium’s most important building.” It was a ground-breaking design and the template for today’s modern skyscrapers, using an… Read more »