Electronically Tintable Glass Lets You Manage Solar Heat Gain

SageGlass controls solar heat gain while preserving the outdoor view in LEED Platinum Southface Eco Office

The award-winning Southface Eco Office in downtown Atlanta has installed SageGlass® to demonstrate how dynamic glass can optimize daylight usage and preserve a connection to the outdoors while eliminating the unwanted effects of the sun such as glare and heat gain.

Conceived as a commercial green building demonstration project for design and construction professionals in the Southeast, the LEED® Platinum-certified Eco Office is home to the Southface Energy Institute, a nonprofit organization that has promoted energy-, water- and resource-efficient workplaces and homes throughout the Southeast U.S. for more than 30 years.

Electronically tintable SageGlass was installed to control sunlight cost effectively without shades or blinds so the organization could manage glare and heat while maintaining the view and connection to the outdoors. According to Frank Burdette, the Eco Office Project Manager at Southface, the use of SageGlass helped support two key design strategies for the Eco Office: passive solar design and daylight harvesting.

“East-facing glass in the building was used to demonstrate the latest technologies for actively managing solar heat gain,” Burdette said. “SageGlass electrochromic tintable glazing provides ample daylight and views down a corridor, and consistently provides a ‘WOW’ factor on our facility tours.”

SageGlass is particularly effective for regions like the Southeast, where long, hot, humid and sunny summers, along with the occasional snow and glare in winter, create solar control challenges for sustainable buildings.

Southface has already achieved dramatic results from its green building design strategies. The LEED Platinum and ENERGY STAR certified Eco Office is one of the world’s most sustainable office facilities, using 84% less potable water and 53% less energy than comparably-sized buildings aligned with current code requirements. The Eco Office was built entirely with off-the-shelf materials and products like SageGlass, demonstrating that even small buildings can achieve high-performance standards at a reasonable cost – its energy use averages less than $25 a day.

The Eco Office has also won a number of industry awards, including the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s top environmental honor in the “Green Reach” category and the Urban Land Institute’s Award of Excellence in the “Sustainable Development” category.

“The Southface Eco Office provides an enormously valuable service in showcasing green building innovations through educational programs, technical assistance and research,” said Lou Podbelski, SAGE’s vice president of architectural solutions. “We’re proud that SageGlass played a role in the organization’s efforts to promote environmentally sound building practices.”

About Southface

Since 1978, Southface has encouraged responsible solutions for environmental living. Driven by the Southeast’s growing need to save energy and water and preserve our natural resources, Southface has successfully fostered unique partnerships with business, government and nonprofit organizations. Southface educational programs, research and technical assistance reach design and construction professionals, homeowners, government officials and others to promote sustainable homes, workplaces and communities. For more information, please visit Southface at www.southface.org.

About SAGE Electrochromics, Inc.

SAGE Electrochromics is the world’s leading manufacturer of electronically tintable glass that can be tinted or untinted to optimize daylight and improve the human experience in buildings. SageGlass controls the sunlight and heat that enter a building, significantly reducing energy consumption while improving people’s comfort and well-being. SageGlass can reduce a building’s cooling load by 20% and HVAC requirements up to 30%. It is also a smarter, more elegant solution than conventional sun controls such as mechanical window shades, blinds and louvers. The company was founded in 1989 and is headquartered near Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn., in the heart of “the Silicon Valley of the window industry.” SAGE is strategically partnered with the Saint-Gobain company of Paris, France, the global leader in glass and building products.

Source: www.sageglass.com

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Posted by Gordon Smith on Dec 12 2011. Filed under Green Building, Solar Thermal. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry