PRODUCT OF THE MONTH

Orlando/Orange County Expressway Authority
by Thomas White

No one can predict the future, but you can’t blame the Orlando/Orange County Expressway Authority (OOCEA) for trying. When it came to the building’s exterior, there was a need for sturdy, durable windows that could, if necessary, stand up to a category five hurricane. But there was also a need for energy savings, high light transmittance and minimal solar heat gain, among a host of other sustainable attributes. What sounds like a design challenge, represented a window of opportunity for Arch Aluminum and Glass Inc. One hundred of the Tamarac, Fla.-based company’s windows now dot the three-story, 89,500 square-foot building which opened earlier this spring. The new headquarters, designed by the Orlando-based architectural firm C.T. Hsu and Associates, in partnership with contractor Clancy and Theys, is outfitted with SunGuard SuperNeutral-68 (Sn-68), solar-controlled low-E glass by Guardian windows, fabricated by Arch.

Mark Dew, owner and operator of Orlando’s Dew Glass, had a unique vantage point on the building’s construction. His company handled the installation of the SN-68 windows for the project. Dew says he has no doubts about how things turned out.

“This all came together and worked out perfectly,” Dew says. “The Expressway Authority is happy; they have great new facilities; they’re going to be there for a while. Probably long after we’re all gone.

“We’ve been working with the SN-68 [glass] and Arch for awhile now. We know a winner when we see one. This fit everyone’s needs. It’s a tough, reliable window that on energy savings alone is going to save them a lot of money in the long run.”

OOCEA Origins

The new building has a structural steel frame, set off with aluminum panel, a brick veneer and a visually-captivating glass curtain wall exterior that encloses an atrium. By design, the building’s glass not only lends to the building’s aesthetics, but it helps create a healthy, productive work environment by allowing natural light to enter. The new Expressway Authority building originally began as a LEED project, but a decision was made to forgo the official certification, but at the same time remain true to some core, green principles. Officials for Arch say the environment is something that the company has given a lot of consideration to over the years. The company served as a pioneer when it came to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), the Green Building Rating System first developed by the United States Green Building Council in 1999. The company published its own LEED Green Building Rating System matrix in 2003, outlining the way its products could serve as an asset in a project’s bid for LEED Gold and Platinum designations. The glass used in the OOCEA’s headquarters building earns potential points in four LEED categories, including Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality and Innovation, and Design Process. As many as ten points are available under the heading Energy and Atmosphere Credit One Optimize Energy Performance. The product earns it LEED attributes by helping to reduce heating and cooling loads within a building, improving energy performance above a prerequisite standard, while reducing environmental impact through excessive energy use. Sixty-eight represents a visible light transmittance of 68 percent, which can be used either on the number-two surface, with designs that called for a neutral appearance, or on the number-three surface, in combination with a coated or tinted outboard lite, for further energy savings.

On the environmental stewardship side, SN-68 contains an average of 20 percent recycled glass, a portion of which is pre-consumer content. When it comes to Indoor Environmental Air Quality, where one to two points are available, SN-68 can potentially contribute points in the Credits 8.1 and 8.2 categories for daylight and views. Another one to four points are available for the innovation and design process, where points are available to design teams for exceptional performance above LEED-NC requirements. 

Nathan Butler, with the firm C.T. Hsu and Associates, was the Project Manager for the new Expressway Authority offices and for two years watched as the construction went forth.

“It was an interesting project,” Nathan Butler said. “It was high-profile, a lot of people were watching to see how it went. 

“We were very intent on including as many sustainable components as possible. We wanted to be a leader, not a follower when it came to being green. 

“I’d say we were successful. I think this will serve as a good example for anyone who’s considering new projects.”

More on the Product

SN-68, the product used in the Orlando/Orange County Expressway Authority’s (OOCEA) new headquarters building, exceeds the Department of Energy’s (DOE) spectrally selective definition of light to solar gain (LSG) of 1.25. The LSG for SN-68 can range from 1.65 for a product with a CrystalGray outboard substrate and a clear inboard substrate, to 1.90 for a green outboard substrate and a clear inboard substrate.

Architects' Guide to Glass & Metal
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