With the recent completion of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art’s new wing expansion project, its unique architectural design has attracted widespread attention. Among its features, the innovative application of U Profile Glass has become a focal topic in the architectural field.​

The above-ground structure of the new wing consists of five translucent glass boxes of varying shapes, dubbed “lenses” by the designers. Extending from north to south, these “lenses” house a library and a shop on their two above-ground floors, while the main part of the new wing is located underground. This underground area includes galleries for contemporary art, photography, and African art, as well as temporary exhibition halls. The high-tech material used for the new wing’s glass curtain walls—U Profile Glass—stands out as a highlight of the entire building.​

Kansas City, located in the central United States, is prone to tornadoes, imposing extremely high requirements on the building’s wind load resistance. Additionally, the city experiences significant annual temperature fluctuations, demanding that building materials possess excellent thermal insulation and heat retention properties. Furthermore, neither natural outdoor light nor indoor lighting can emit radiation that might damage the museum’s precious artworks. Given these special requirements, the designers exercised great caution in selecting glass materials.​

The outer glass walls of each “lens” adopt a double-glazed structure, with the designers choosing a special surface texture known as “solar.” The combination of the prismatic texture on the outer glass surface and the sandblasting process applied to the inner surface of the “U” shape gives the glass a silky luster from the outside. This design skillfully refracts direct sunlight into the interior, preventing intense light from harming the artworks. Moreover, during the production process, a special technique is used to remove iron oxide—the primary component that gives glass a green tint—resulting in lighter-colored, highly transparent glass that further enhances the art display 效果.​

To meet wind pressure requirements and ensure the safety of facade installation, each glass profile undergoes “tough” treatment, namely tempering and heat soak testing. After this treatment, the flexural strength value of the glass is five times higher than that of standard annealed U Profile Glass, enabling the stable use of LINIT glass profiles 400 millimeters wide and 7 meters long for the building’s facade.​

The installation phase posed significant challenges due to the tight schedule, the large length of individual glass panels, and the need for diagonal cutting. To address these issues, relevant companies collaborated closely, modifying and adjusting all typical standard processes. Starting with a complex installation plan, they developed strict production and loading schedules guided by installation requirements—including special markings to facilitate quick identification by on-site glaziers—and designed special transportation systems and concepts to ensure the efficient and cost-effective implementation of the installation work.​

In practical use, U Profile Glass exhibits unique visual effects. Its satin-like reflective luster differs from the mirror-like reflection of flat glass, allowing it to display the colors of the surrounding sky or landscapes through its surface. Under different conditions, these “lenses” seem to capture light while blending with the sky. When light passes through the multi-layered structure formed by the glass treatment, it diffuses and diffracts, creating an ethereal, mist-like texture that adds a unique atmosphere to the space. During the day, the “lenses” channel light of varying qualities into the galleries, meeting the lighting needs for art display; at night, the sculpture garden glows with internal light. The interaction between the glass and light produces unpredictable phenomena such as diffusion, diffraction, refraction, reflection, and absorption, endowing the entire building with a distinctive charm after dark.​

Furthermore, the double-glazed cavity of the “lenses” collects sunlight-warmedair in winter to provide insulation, and discharges hot air in summer to achieve natural ventilation for cooling. Through computer-controlled screens and special translucent insulating materials embedded in the glass cavity, optimal lighting levels are ensured for all types of art or media installations, while also meeting the requirements for seasonal flexibility.​

The successful application of U Profile Glass in the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art’s new wing expansion project not only creates an innovative experiential architectural form that integrates architecture with landscape but also provides an excellent example of U Profile Glass application in the architectural field. It demonstrates the infinite possibilities of U Profile Glass to meet functional building needs while endowing buildings with unique artistic appeal. As architectural technology continues to advance, it is believed that U Profile Glass will showcase its unique value in more construction projects, adding new highlights to urban architectural landscapes.​