The addition of DuPont's SentryGlas^® structural interlayer to Pilkington Planar™ frameless structural glazing system, provides architects, designers, glazing contractors and building owners with enhanced safety, security and durability. The Pilkington Planar™ | SentryGlas^® System incorporates a laminated glass that has superior strength even though it can be significantly thinner and hence lighter than other glazing solutions. It creates an elegant design that maximises the use of open space and natural light.

Yorkdale Shopping Centre in Toronto is the first large-scale project in the world to use the Pilkington Planar™ | Sentry Glas^® System and it has helped to reinvent the fashionable mall. A 60-foot high, 'barrel-vaulted' laminated glass atrium now runs 300 feet in length and soars above the 180,000 square foot redeveloped area. The creation of the 'open sky' is the centrepiece attraction in the mall.

The Pilkington Planar™ | Sentry Glas^® System was the ideal solution to the design demands of the architect and the practical requirements of the building. Chris Brown from MMC International Architects was responsible for the design and he comments: "This was quite a challenge considering Toronto's harsh climate as winter temperatures often fall as low as -20° C and there is heavy and frequent snow. The Pilkington and DuPont solution answered our aesthetic and functional needs due to the unobtrusive framing system and strength of the glass. It is safe, strong and offers unbeatable edge stability."

The tough technical specification was resolved after discussions with structural engineers, Yolles, and Pilkington Planar™ distributors, W&W Glass of New York. The glass structure had to be light as possible, it had to create simple and elegant architectural form and the glass itself had to withstand heavy loads.

Design Manager at Pilkington Architectural, Tim Morgan, comments: "Architects have been striving for years to create a sense of 'being outside' inside. This is the age of big glass panels so the Pilkington Planar™ | Sentry Glas^® System is just what architects and engineers are looking for. In the past, increased design loads resulted in an inevitable thickness and cost, but this innovation has opened up new dimensions.

"The increased design opportunities offered by this new system are powerful allies for both the architect intent on challenging convention and the engineer charged with delivering the solution."