Phone
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Project Overview
Bard College in New York created a multi-use student space using shipping containers, requiring the compact structure to support several different activities within a limited footprint. The space was designed to function as a classroom, study area, gallery, performance space, and informal gathering place, making flexibility an important part of the architectural design.
A large operable opening on the first floor was used to connect the interior with the surrounding wooded landscape and allow the relatively small building to function differently depending on how students and faculty were using it. Renlita provided a 16-foot-wide by 7-foot-tall Hinge vertical opening system, formerly the S-2000 Hingeway, with Low-E glass to create that adaptable connection.
The Challenge
The shipping-container construction made efficient use of interior space especially important. Bard College needed a 16-foot-wide operable opening without introducing conventional overhead tracks or bulky operating equipment into a compact room intended to support classrooms, exhibitions, performances, studying, and other student activities.
The opening also needed to serve the space differently when open and closed. When closed, glazing was needed to maintain daylight and views through the exterior wall. When open, the system needed to create a broad connection to the surrounding landscape while minimizing intrusion into the interior.
The Solution
Renlita engineered a 16-foot-wide by 7-foot-tall Hinge vertical opening system, formerly the S-2000 Hingeway, for the first floor of Bard College’s multi-use student building. The counterweighted system uses two hinged panels that move outward and upward, allowing the door to open without conventional overhead tracks extending across the room.
That movement is particularly useful within the project’s compact shipping-container architecture. Instead of requiring ceiling space for horizontal tracks, the Hinge remains concentrated at the building envelope and projects outward when raised. The open panels also create a canopy-like projection over the exterior edge of the opening while leaving the interior floor and ceiling areas available for other uses.
Low-E glass allows the 16-foot-wide assembly to remain part of the building’s transparent exterior when closed, bringing daylight and views of the surrounding landscape into the student space. The system operates on 110V power and includes battery backup, allowing operation during a power outage without the hydraulic pump equipment associated with hydraulic opening systems.
Together, these features allow a relatively compact building to transition between enclosed and open configurations while supporting the varied ways Bard College students and faculty use the space.
Key Benefits
Flexible Use of Limited Interior Space
The Hinge supports Bard College’s multi-use design by creating a 16-foot-wide opening without conventional overhead tracks extending into the room. Keeping the operating system at the building envelope preserves interior ceiling and floor space for classrooms, study areas, exhibitions, performances, and gatherings. When raised, the opening also connects the compact interior directly with the surrounding landscape.
Natural Light & Exterior Views
Low-E glass allows the Hinge to maintain daylight and views through the 16-foot-wide opening even when the system is closed. This makes the operable door part of the building’s glazed exterior rather than turning the opening into an opaque wall whenever the space is enclosed. When raised, the glazing moves overhead and creates a direct connection between the student space and the wooded setting outside.
Compact Electric Operation
The Hinge uses a counterweighted operating system powered by a 110V electrical connection rather than the hydraulic pump equipment used by many large hydraulic doors. This reduces the electrical and equipment requirements associated with operating the 16-foot-wide opening, an advantage within the project’s compact shipping-container construction. Battery backup also allows the system to remain operable during a power outage.