Hurricane resistant, energy-efficient Viracon Glass turns Florida office building into modern business destination

Emerald Hills Executive Plaza One (now known as Ganot Plaza), located in Hollywood, Florida, was in desperate need of an overhaul. The 40-year-old building was encased with glass that used an inconsistent film, which struggled to keep sunlight out. In a highly competitive market, the property owner desired an upgrade to improve not only the building’s looks, but its comfort and performance, which resulted in faster leasing rates for the investment.

THE BUILDING: The Ganot Plaza is a 63,342-square-foot, six-story mid-rise office building. To give the building a sleek, modern, contemporary look and feel, the building received a major curtain wall retrofit.

SOLUTION: For this project, there was one clear choice -- energy-efficient VUE-30, one of Viracon’s highest performing coated glass. Working with a 28,000-square-foot curtain wall system, VUE-30 not only transformed the drab 40-year-old Emerald Hills office building into a modern marvel, but enhanced the energy efficiency of the building.

BENEFITS: In today’s tightening energy code environment, designers and developers have been demanding a low-emissivity coating with exceptional performance (a Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) of less than .20). To meet that need, Viracon developed the VUE line of glass coatings, which offers the opportunity to maximize window-to-wall ratio while maintaining performance that exceeds current domestic energy code requirements. Viracon VUE-30 provides natural daylight while reducing potential glare; balancing light with energy savings and low U-V transmittance. VUE-30 has superior solar performance with a Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) of .18 and Visible Light Transmittance (VLT) of 31% on clear glass resulting in an LSG of 1.72. VUE-30’s solar performance is complimented by a transparent appearance that designers have been asking for.

THE PLAYERS: Architect, Iraj S. Shojaie; General Contractor, Burke Construction; Curtain Wall Manufacturer and Contractor, Crawford-Tracey Corp.; Glass Fabricator, Viracon Inc.

To learn more, visit viracon.com

In a summary judgement dated February 3, 2021, Chief Magistrate Joseph C. Spero of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California ruled that the patent infringement claims filed by Ely Holdings Limited (Ely) and Greenlite Glass Systems (Greenlite) against SAFTI FIRST, a USA fire rated glass and framing manufacturer, could not proceed to trial, finding that the SAFTI FIRST’s fire resistant floor does not violate Ely’s patent.