Omni Fort Worth Hotel and 1301 Throckmorton, Omni Residences

Occupying two city blocks in a fast-growing metropolis, the Omni Fort Worth Hotel and Residences is more than just a dazzling new jewel on the city skyline. It is also the latest example of the burgeoning green building trend in the hospitality industry.

Designed by HOK, one of the country’s leading green building practitioners, the 34-story structure features a variety of environmentally progressive attributes, including the use of Solarban^® 60 Optiblue^® (formerly Solarban^® z50) glass, a solar control, low-e glass from Vitro Architectural Glass (formerly PPG glass) with a sparkling steel-blue-gray tint and an unprecedented mix of low exterior reflectance and high visible light transmittance.

HOK united Solarban^® 60 Optiblue^® glass with aqua-blue Vistacool^® Azuria^® glass, another tinted Vitro glass, to create a richly saturated blue-gray curtain wall that makes the new tower one of Fort Worth’s most identifiable icons.

While color and aesthetics were motivating forces behind HOK’s selection of glass, its role in the building’s overall energy management system was another critical consideration. In a standard 1-inch insulating glass unit, the marriage of Solarban^® 60 Optiblue^® and Vistacool^® Azuria® glasses generates visible light transmittance (VLT) of 30 percent and a solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) of 0.25.

This combination of performance characteristics allows the glass to transmit significant levels of natural light, while simultaneously blocking most of the sun’s radiant energy. The result is less reliance on artificial lighting and a smaller burden on the building’s air-conditioning system, an important consideration in Fort Worth’s hot, densely populated urban environment.

Because the Fort Worth Omni Hotel and Residences serves temporary guests and full-time owners, the building maintains separate entrances for both. The dual function of the building also had a significant design impact on its upper floors.

Above the lobby podium, 13 floors of guest space sit on an “L-shaped” floor plate that houses 608 upscale suites. The remaining 18 floors, situated on a smaller floor plate and representing the soaring central core of the structure, are reserved for 90 exclusive condominiums. Both the central tower and the lower hotel block are sheathed in the blue-gray glass curtain wall, which accentuates both the tower’s height and its gracefully curving facade.

In addition to use of high-performance architectural glass, other environmentally advanced facets of the Omni Fort Worth Hotel and Residences are comprehensive energy management and green roofing systems, extensive use of regional materials and easy access to Dallas/Fort Worth’s sprawling public transportation system.

With 23 offices in North America, Europe and Asia, HOK is one of the world’s largest architectural engineering firms. The firm also is a leader in the formulation of green building practices for the hospitality industry, as evidenced by its recent work on such high-profile projects as the First Bay Resort in Dalmatia, Croatia; the Four Seasons Resort in Shanghai, China; and the Jordan Valley Marriott Resort and Spa in Amman, Jordan.

HOK often uses Vitro Glass products on projects because of the extensive array of aesthetic and performance choices, as well as the company’s proven track record.