Thailand’s first Apple store, located on an elevated riverside site in the heart of Bangkok, has expansive glass facades that enhance connections between the store, the river and the mixed-use Iconsiam Center.
Opened in November 2018, Apple Iconsiam creates an open connection between the Chao Phraya River on one side and the new mixed-use Iconsiam Center on the other. Eckersley O’Callaghan provided engineering services for the structural design of the store’s expansive glazing, and the thermal performance of the facades. Façade connections had to accommodate the high movements of the main structure.
Comprising 18 flat glass panels 10.6 metres tall, the riverfront facade makes use of vertical fins bonded at every other joint with structural silicone to provide out-of-plane supports. Continuous horizontal captures clamp the glass top and bottom, meaning the panels are effectively supported on three sides.
The finless joints are sealed with weather silicone. The two panels above each external doorframe form an arch, which is then supported by the doorframe sidelights.
The smaller internal facade, which faces into the shopping centre, consists of nine panels, each 8.2 metres tall. The panels are all two-side supported, clamped in continuous horizontal captures, with structural silicone in the vertical joints to ensure a membrane effect under out-of-plane loads.
© Eckersley O’Callaghan 2024
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