@Kaizen Value engineering then? Either way, not exactly what I was expecting from the renders...
Edit: I guess going back and looking at the closer-up renders, it's not that far off, they just took some liberties smoothing out the texture making it look more like curtainwall.
@Daveography -- I have to think that curtainwalls are very cost effective (my experience anyway) and the new systems -- designed to the most current energy codes -- are through-the-roof R-value-wise. Oblique panels get R value ratings of 24 or better; and triple-glazed units are higher than 10 (especially with partial vacuums and argon gas filling). The color selection used to be fairly minimal, but today the rainbow is jealous -- and glazing panels can be color-tuned to solid panels for a very uniform appearance. Sorry to say, I am a big fan of spandrel panels - they have come a long way from the days of Oxford towers.
From Saturday, late afternoon, with full intent of checking out the glass a little bit later on. I passed by again after 5pm and it was too dark (of course) to get another pick of the glass, dam.