Custom Aluminum Glazing
The Montreal Tower at Parc Olympique is one of Canada’s most recognizable structures, and at 175 meters, the world’s tallest inclined tower. Its ongoing renovation, led by Lemay with SNC-Lavalin as structural engineer and KJA as façade consultant, presented a glazing challenge that required more than a standard aluminum system could offer.
Gutmann North America supplied the S70+ Fixed Window system to glazing contractor Vitreco, based in Laval, Quebec. The scope covered 32 custom-framed glazing units totaling almost 630 m² of glazed area.
The Challenge
The tower’s signature incline defines its geometry, and that geometry does not accommodate standard fenestration. With glass set at a 39-degree incline, the glazing openings at the upper observation level are not rectangles. They are irregular parallelograms and lozenges, with each unit dimensioned individually to follow the tower’s angular facade. Several units span over 26 meters in width. The two largest panels each cover over 70 m².
Supporting glass units of this scale, accommodating double glazed units ranging from 38mm to 62mm thickness, at a sustained 39-degree incline demanded aluminum profiles with greater structural capacity than standard S70+ extrusions provide.
GNA’s Solution
GNA’s in-house extrusion capability allowed the S70+ profiles to be modified with thicker channel walls, increasing the structural capacity of both the frame outer and frame inner profiles to carry the additional glass weight without altering the system’s thermal performance or visual profile. All profiles were finished in PVDF 3-Coat to meet the project’s durability and aesthetic requirements.
The renovation is set for completion in 2027.
Project Team
- Architect: Lemay
- Structural Engineer: SNC-Lavalin
- Façade Consultant: KJA
- Building Services: Bouthillette Parizeau
- Glazing Contractor: Vitreco
- Aluminum Systems Supplier: Gutmann North America
