en.Wedoany.com Reported - British-made glass has been used in a new rotating observation deck installed atop New York's Rockefeller Center. Named "Skylift," the deck is located three levels above the building's "Top of the Rock" observation platform, 850 feet above the ground, offering unobstructed 360-degree panoramic views of Manhattan.

Supplying the high-performance glass for this project is Pilkington UK, headquartered in St Helens, Lancashire, and part of the NSG Group. Its Optiwhite glass was selected for its superior transparency, quality, and workability. Specialist Glass Products, a processor based in Huddersfield, collaborated with interlayer specialist Kuraray to manufacture the curved, low-iron glass panels required for the deck. Each panel was tempered and laminated with Kuraray's SentryGlas ionomer interlayer for added strength. Originally developed for hurricane-resistant glass in the United States, this interlayer is suitable for reinforcing glass panels to withstand the harsh weather conditions at the top of Rockefeller Center.

Adrian Parker, Regional Sales Manager at Pilkington UK, stated that creating this observation deck required balancing visibility and structural integrity to provide views of New York while ensuring public safety. Andrew Taylor, Director of Specialist Glass Products, noted that supplying curved, low-iron glass panels for such a high-altitude structure demanded absolute precision throughout the manufacturing process, and the combination of Pilkington Optiwhite glass with Kuraray SentryGlas interlayer met the requirements for design transparency and structural performance. Allan Gibson, Global Product Manager at Kuraray, added that advancements in interlayer technology have opened new possibilities for the use of glass in architecture, with this collaborative project serving as an example.

Glass produced by Pilkington UK has previously been used in world-renowned landmarks such as the Empire State Building, the Louvre Pyramid, and London's The Shard.

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