Gutmann North America provided the custom unitized curtain wall system for Avia Labs, a 315,000 sq. ft. life sciences research facility in Millbrae, California—an emerging hub for innovation just south of San Francisco.
Designed by Flad Architects and built by Level 10 Construction, the project is targeting LEED Gold and Fitwel certifications.
This ambitious project required a facade system that balanced architectural ambition with rigorous performance standards. To achieve this, Gutmann worked alongside Coalition Glass, our fabrication and installation partner. From the early stages of the project, we provided design assist services, which ultimately led to the engineering and delivery of a curtain wall solution tailored to the project’s complex geometry, material requirements, and construction sequencing.
Facade Challenges
The Avia Labs facade introduced several engineering challenges:
Oversized Unitized Panels – Curtain wall modules reached up to 14.4 feet in height, requiring robust structural support and air/water performance.
GFRC Integration – The design included parametric Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete panels with recessed and protruding elements, requiring precise alignment with curtain wall frames.
LED Lighting Channels – Integrated linear LED lighting demanded millimeter-level tolerances and specialized framing details.
Perpendicular Intersections – Achieving sharp, perpendicular connections between GFRC elements and curtain wall mullions was a defining architectural requirement.
Gutmann’s Solution
Gutmann North America delivered a high-performance curtain wall system with integrated solutions for these complexities:
Custom Extrusions – Proprietary aluminum profiles enabled crisp GFRC intersections and reinforced oversized modules.
Off-Site Fabrication – Unitized panels were assembled in controlled factory conditions, improving quality, accelerating the schedule, and reducing on-site labor.
System Versatility – Our framing system accommodated LED lighting channels, GFRC anchors, and multiple infill types while meeting stringent structural and thermal performance goals.
Outcome
The result was a fast-tracked, high-performance building enclosure that preserved the architectural intent while ensuring constructability and efficiency. Gutmann’s custom curtain wall seamlessly integrated GFRC panels and lighting components, enabling design flexibility without compromising performance.
Special thanks to Level 10 and Pink Media Productions for the Photography.
