Glasswerks supplied precision-fabricated architectural glass for Portside Pier — one of San Diego's most celebrated waterfront dining destinations and a landmark addition to the North Embarcadero.
Where Maritime Heritage Meets Modern Architecture
Designed by Tucker Sadler Architects and built over San Diego Bay at 1360 North Harbor Drive, Portside Pier is a $25 million, 42,000-square-foot dining and entertainment complex developed by the Port of San Diego in partnership with The Brigantine, Inc. The building’s design draws heavily from San Diego’s seafaring past — a curved barrel roof clad in zinc shingles, Brazilian hardwood siding, and glass basket structures anchoring each end of the structure give the project an unmistakably nautical character.
At its center: a soaring spiral glass staircase that serves as both a vertical connector and the defining interior moment of the entire complex. Glasswerks fabricated the architectural glass for that staircase as well as the glass railing systems throughout the adjacent Brigantine Seafood and Oyster Bar — working alongside our friends at Long Glazing to deliver every piece to spec.
Our Scope of Work
Both applications on this project called for the same high-performance glass specification, chosen for its structural integrity and optical clarity in a demanding, high-traffic waterfront environment.
Spiral Staircase — Portside Pier
The staircase glass was fabricated using 9/16″ Clear Laminated glass with a 0.60 SGP interlayer — engineered to perform as a structural element, not just an aesthetic one. SentryGlas® interlayer delivers dramatically greater stiffness and post-breakage retention than standard PVB, making it the right call for glass treads and enclosure panels that see constant daily use. The fabrication required tight tolerances to integrate cleanly within the custom steel stair structure — the kind of precision work that’s become a Glasswerks calling card.
Glass Railings — Brigantine Seafood and Oyster Bar
Unobstructed views of San Diego Bay were non-negotiable for the Brigantine’s design team. The railing panels — also fabricated in 9/16″ Clear Lami with 0.60 SGP — were cut and finished to allow fully frameless installation, keeping sightlines open from every seat in the restaurant. Clean, code-compliant, and completely invisible to the view behind them.
- Vitro Clear with 0.60 SGP interlayer specified across both scopes for consistent optical quality and structural performance
- Coordinated closely with Long Glazing for a smooth fabrication-to-installation handoff on a complex, high-profile job
- Contributed to a project that earned a 2024 Gold Nugget Merit Award — Best Commercial Project
“The spiral staircase at Portside Pier is the kind of scope that gets our team fired up — structurally demanding, highly visible, and zero margin for error. Hats off to Long Glazing for the install. That’s what a great partnership looks like.”
Project Team
- Owner: The Brigantine, Inc. / Port of San Diego
- Architect: Tucker Sadler Architects — San Diego, CA
- General Contractor: Pacific Building Group
- Glazing Contractor: Long Glazing
- Glass Fabricator: Glasswerks
- Completed: July 2020
- Recognition: 2024 Gold Nugget Merit Award — Best Commercial Project (Tucker Sadler Architects)
