The Vizcaya Museum had a unique problem. With a section of the museum just 1.8 feet above sea level, the bottom floor was unusable due to periodic flooding from adjacent Biscayne Bay. The Museum engaged the service of Rick De LaGuardia of DLGE to engineer a product that could replace the existing unsightly food panels with flood barrier glass and framing. Architectural Glass (Richard Toscano) was selected as the glazing contractor and SMI Aluminum Systems was chosen for the framing system and doors.

SMI’s 090 system was used for the framing system since its adjustable glazing pocket could accommodate the multi‐layer laminated glass. The large glass panels had to withstand not only the pressure of being submerged in a flood, but they had to be able to hold up to the impact of floating debris hitting the product. The frames were steel reinforced as was the interior glass stop.

Special doors had to be designed as well. There were two radius top doors in addition to one oversized rectangular door. They had to be attractive, functional and water tight. New extrusions were designed that could embed an inflatable gasket in the door panel. Once inflated, this gasket would restrict any water penetration from the door’s perimeter. To minimize seams and potential leaks, the radius top doors were bent from a single length of metal. This required three tries in order to get the bend perfect for the application.

The thick walls of coral rock construction allowed the SMI framing system to be installed while retaining the interior operable French doors. At first glance, SMI’s product is not even visible and the character of museum’s millwork is highlighted. The now usable space is an attractive café for the Museum’s guests.