The International Co-operative Museum in Kozhikode presented a series of engineering challenges that required the façade team to move beyond standard unitised practice. Cold-bent glass, complex connection details and seismic movement all had to be resolved within a single coordinated system.

Unique project features

The museum’s architectural ambition called for curved and cold-bent glazing that could not be achieved with conventional flat unitised panels. The design required careful coordination between structural movement, glass stress and visual continuity.

Cold-bent unitised glazing

Cold-bending glass within a unitised system introduces residual stresses that must be accounted for in both the glass specification and the framing. The team developed connection details that could accommodate the additional forces while maintaining weathertightness and long-term performance.

Seismic and load considerations

Kozhikode’s seismic zone required the façade connections to accommodate inter-storey drift and dynamic loads without compromising the glass or the seals. The solution combined carefully engineered brackets with movement joints that allowed the system to breathe.

Vora emphasised that successful delivery depended on early collaboration between architect, façade consultant and fabricator so that the geometric and structural constraints were understood from the outset.