EXP | 795 Columbus Avenue | Northeastern University

Different kind of glass going in on the bottom right of the building. You can also see the plaza has been closed off and the temporary handicap accessible ramp has been removed.
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How much more expensive is a facade like this compared to ordinary commercial real estate buildings?
 
How much more expensive is a facade like this compared to ordinary commercial real estate buildings?
The short answer is a lot. This has what it would guess to be a lot of additional scope cross a few trades which adds complexity and cost in addition to just material costs, not to mention coordination on the design team and contractor (I wonder what the shop drawings are like?). I'd WAG at least 30 percent more over a simple glass box but wouldn't be surprised if it was higher.
 
The short answer is a lot. This has what it would guess to be a lot of additional scope cross a few trades which adds complexity and cost in addition to just material costs, not to mention coordination on the design team and contractor (I wonder what the shop drawings are like?). I'd WAG at least 30 percent more over a simple glass box but wouldn't be surprised if it was higher.

Expensive items to consider:
Since this is a Payette project, all the glass is triple glazed.
Curved glass - Curved glass is expensive. This also means you need curved extrusions. Originally, the project had more actually "curved" areas that were VE'd to be straight facets.
Stainless steel sunshades - Another layer of complexity that requires its own engineering, coordination, fabrication, etc.
Custom fabricated steel "T" profile storefront - This scope hasn't been started yet, but its at the ground level and therefore the finish level will need to look very nice (AESS level 3)
 
“If you fixed this fin, You’d be attending this school now.”
 
So if you work in a space in one of the curved corners where the metal cladding gets wide, the light is only coming in an narrow slits. Isn't that going to seem dark and prison-like, especially on the North side of the building?
 

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