PPG Industries and Pleotint, LLC, have agreed to jointly market a commercial window glass system that combines Sunlight Responsive Thermochromic, or SRT, interlayer technology by Pleotint, with Solarban low-emissivity (low-e) glass and other glasses by PPG to control solar heat gain and reduce energy costs in buildings.
Pleotint’s patented technology is a lightly tinted thermochromic interlayer that warms up and darkens in direct sunlight, but clears in indirect sunlight to allow light to pass into a building. Laminated between two lites of glass, SRT interlayer may be used monolithically or within an insulating glass unit. Visible light transmittance for windows with SRT interlayer adjusts through the day without the need for wiring, power supplies or controls.
When the SRT interlayer is combined in a window system with Solarban glass, a proven solar control, low-e glass that also blocks solar heat and transmits visible light, these adaptive windows can dramatically reduce the amount of energy required to cool buildings. Because the windows clear up in indirect sunlight, they also decrease the need for artificial lighting.
A study showed that, due to its ability to dynamically adjust to natural lighting conditions, a window system including an SRT interlayer can reduce energy costs in commercial buildings by 17 to 30% over industry-standard window systems. A window with SRT technology also reduces the transmittance of ultraviolet light and short-wavelength visible light, which are major contributors to fading in carpets, fabrics, artwork, photos and other materials.
Unlike competing dynamic windows that require manual, electrical or mechanical controls, windows with the SRT interlayer use the sun’s own energy – up to 1,000 watts of power per square meter – to adjust the window tint and transmittance level. Because the process is entirely self-sustaining, the SRT interlayer system not only uses less energy, it also eliminates the opportunities for failure due to faulty wiring, poor connections or broken electrical circuits. Windows with SRT interlayers also have passed exposure and durability testing developed for electrochromic windows and conducted by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).
Insulating units with SRT interlayers and Solarban low-e glass are available in sizes up to 5 feet wide and have been laminated in lengths of up to 11 feet. Architects may specify any Oceans of Color tinted glass or Earth and Sky high-performance tinted glass by PPG as a base-state window color. BD+C
Related Stories
| Oct 13, 2010
Campus building gives students a taste of the business world
William R. Hough Hall is the new home of the Warrington College of Business Administration at the University of Florida in Gainesville. The $17.6 million, 70,000-sf building gives students access to the latest technology, including a lab that simulates the stock exchange.
| Oct 13, 2010
Science building supports enrollment increases
The new Kluge-Moses Science Building at Piedmont Virginia Community College, in Charlottesville, is part of a campus update designed and managed by the Lukmire Partnership. The 34,000-sf building is designed to be both a focal point of the college and a recruitment mechanism to get more students enrolling in healthcare programs.
| Oct 13, 2010
Cancer hospital plans fifth treatment center
Construction is set to start in December on the new Cancer Treatment Centers of America’s $55 million hospital in Newnan, Ga. The 225,000-sf facility will have 25 universal inpatient beds, two linear accelerator vaults, an HDR/Brachy therapy vault, and a radiology and imaging unit.
| Oct 13, 2010
Apartment complex will offer affordable green housing
Urban Housing Communities, KTGY Group, and the City of Big Bear Lake (Calif.) Improvement Agency are collaborating on The Crossings at Big Bear Lake, the first apartment complex in the city to offer residents affordable, eco-friendly homes. KTGY designed 28 two-bedroom, two-story townhomes and 14 three-bedroom, single-story flats, averaging 1,100 sf each.
| Oct 13, 2010
Residences bring students, faculty together in the Middle East
A new residence complex is in design for United Arab Emirates University in Al Ain, UAE, near Abu Dhabi. Plans for the 120-acre mixed-use development include 710 clustered townhomes and apartments for students and faculty and common areas for community activities.
| Oct 13, 2010
HQ renovations aim for modern look
Gerner Kronick + Valcarcel Architects’ renovations to the Commonwealth Bank of Australia’s New York City headquarters will feature a reworked reception lobby with back-painted glass, silk-screened logos, and a video wall.
| Oct 13, 2010
New health center to focus on education and awareness
Construction is getting pumped up at the new Anschutz Health and Wellness Center at the University of Colorado, Denver. The four-story, 94,000-sf building will focus on healthy lifestyles and disease prevention.
| Oct 13, 2010
Community center under way in NYC seeks LEED Platinum
A curving, 550-foot-long glass arcade dubbed the “Wall of Light” is the standout architectural and sustainable feature of the Battery Park City Community Center, a 60,000-sf complex located in a two-tower residential Lower Manhattan complex. Hanrahan Meyers Architects designed the glass arcade to act as a passive energy system, bringing natural light into all interior spaces.
| Oct 13, 2010
Community college plans new campus building
Construction is moving along on Hudson County Community College’s North Hudson Campus Center in Union City, N.J. The seven-story, 92,000-sf building will be the first higher education facility in the city.
| Oct 13, 2010
Bookworms in Silver Spring getting new library
The residents of Silver Spring, Md., will soon have a new 112,000-sf library. The project is aiming for LEED Silver certification.
