Custom Bendheim Architectural Glass Meets Branding Guidelines and Maintenance Goals for Newly Constructed British Airways Lounge

The glass, including the company’s new Ultra-White Fade® Laminated Glass, requires minimal upkeep to maintain immaculate presentation.A range of customized Bendheim architectural glass, including the company’s new Ultra-White Fade® Laminated Glass, is a prominent design feature in the newly constructed British Airways Lounge at Dulles International Airport by TPG Architecture.The chic, maintenance-friendly glass meets British Airways’ corporate branding goals and guidelines, while maintaining a luxurious and pristine appearance to welcome hundreds of premier passengers daily.

Drawing inspiration from British Airways’ flagship lounges at London’s Heathrow airport, the new space is designed to provide travelers with stylish areas to comfortably relax and unwind, or refresh and catch up on work. It is complete with a dining area, wine gallery, bar, and workspaces.

TPG Architecture turned to Bendheim to fabricate a wide array of highly customized glass pieces, creating hard-working architectural surfaces with luxe aesthetic. The selected varieties include custom color back-painted and laminated glass panels echoing the airline’s blue, silver, and white brand palette, Fade® privacy glass, imprinted custom graphics in glass, and luxurious subway-style glass backsplashes. Bendheim’s maintenance-friendly glass features naturally hygienic, non-porous surfaces. Walls and partitions of Bendheim glass require minimal upkeep, as multitudes of the airline’s most valued passengers pass through on a daily basis.

To allow patrons to easily recognize the new lounge, the architects created an expansive glass feature wall in British Airways’ signature “Midnight Blue” hue to surround the entrance. A second feature wall incorporates custom silver back-painted glass to create a relaxing and inviting sitting area. Bendheim’s ability to precisely match custom colors in back-painted glass, including trademarked hues, ensures the continuity of the airline’s brand throughout its physical spaces.

Laminated glass partitions, featuring Bendheim’s selectively obscuring Ultra-White Fade® and a custom barley weave pattern, define the bar and VIP private dining areas as they impart a sense of privacy, enhancing passenger comfort. The laminated safety glass also reduces noise transmission, an added comfort-boosting benefit for passengers. A custom bronze mirror helps showcase an extensive wine collection.

Bendheim worked closely with the architectural and contractor teams to fabricate the wide variety of specialty glass needed for the project to exact specifications, on time, and within budget. Careful planning and coordination with the installer, S. Albert Glass Company, helped meet fast-tracked project targets.

“It is imperative that a project of this status be managed with the right suppliers to ensure timely delivery and a quality result. With the diverse glass product line selected by the designer, and the normal accelerated schedule, we phased material to coincide with the site conditions,” said Mark Guidot, Senior Project Manager, S. Albert Glass Company. “Thanks to the Bendheim team, S. Albert Glass Company is proud of the final result. The glass is easily the most becoming of all the finishes on the project.”

As a valuable partner, Bendheim’s team brings decades of specialty architectural glass experience to building and design professionals throughout the design process, from concept to completion. To learn more about Bendheim decorative architectural glass, please visit http://www.BendheimArchitectural.com.