The Winners of the USGlass Green Design Awards _feature, USGlass, November 2010

Volume 45, Issue 11 - November 2010

feature
The Winners of the USGlass Green Design Awards
Glass Gives These Projects Performance and a View

It’s not uncommon to read an editorial in the consumer press where the question is posed “Wouldn’t our buildings be more efficient if we got rid of the glass altogether?”

Much to the glass industry’s chagrin, it’s a question that was echoed earlier this year when the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) considered reducing in its 90.1 standard the amount of glass permissible in the envelope of commercial buildings using the prescriptive path by a full 25 percent (that decision was recently overturned—see page 10 for related story).

It is true that the single-pane glazing of yesterday easily transmitted the summer heat and winter chill to buildings’ interiors, but today’s products are able to provide a view and thermal performance. As the industry has enthusiastically embraced the energy-efficiency bandwagon, more and more glass products embody green in additional ways, such as using framing with recycled materials and ceramic frits free of lead; integrating window systems with sunshades, light louvers and other devices for optimizing daylight; and promoting the many benefits that windows naturally offer, such as natural ventilation, free daylighting and a healthy connection to the outdoors.

In recognition of the many ways in which glass products promote the “green” message, USGlass is acknowledging buildings in the categories of Active Glazing, Retrofit and New Construction that show the world just how green glass can be. These buildings were nominated by the readers of the USGNN.com™ e-newsletter.

Meet the Judges
This year’s judges for the Green Design Award reflect a diverse range of experience in the building industry, although each has an intimate familiarity with the green potential of glazing materials. The judges are:
• Benedict Tranel, architect and regional technical director at Gensler in San Francisco;
• Kerry Haglund, LEED AP, senior research fellow with the Center for Sustainable Building Research at the University of Minnesota; and
• Gregory A. Demirdjian, LEED AP BD+C, with glazing contractor MTH Industries in Chicago.

Awards Criteria
In selecting the buildings they felt best conveyed how glazing can contribute to a building’s overall “greenness,” the judges considered a variety of factors. Information was provided by the nominees, including building certifications; glass type; framing type; the glazing products’ integration with other building components; the glass choice’s contributions to cost savings; “green” production and/or installation processes; and other information that are unique to each building. The winning projects are noted on the following pages along with all of the nominees.

ACTIVE GLAZING FINALIST
Chabot College Community and Student Services Center
Hayward, Calif.
Architect: tBP Architecture
Glazing contractor: Capital Glass Co. in Benicia, Calif.
Supplier(s): SAGE Electrochromics in Faribault, Minn.
How Glass Makes It Green: A key feature of the building is the south facing 2-story atrium. Rather than impeding the views with screens or blinds necessary to manage heat gain and glare in the atrium, approximately 2,900 square feet of electronically tintable glass was specified for the atrium in 4- by 2 ½-foot panels, eight panels tall. The glazing is divided into six control zones, each tied to the building’s energy management system. Each zone can be dynamically tinted or cleared independently to account for the location of the sun based on the time of day and year. The use of dynamic glass to control the amount of sunlight entering the atrium allowed the architects to create an HVAC-free space.

ACTIVE GLAZING -WINNER
National Renewable Energy
Laboratory’s Research Support Facility
Golden, Colo.
The new Research Support Facility for the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) was created to be one of the most energy-efficient and healthy workplaces in the world. As a net-zero energy building, it was designed to produce as much power as it consumes.
Architect: RNL in Denver
Glazing contractor: J.R. Butler Inc. in Denver
Supplier(s): Wausau Window and Wall Systems in Wausau, Wis.; SAGE Electrochromics in Faribault, Minn.; Viracon in Owatonna, Minn.
How Glass Makes It Green: The project’s goals were to optimize visible light and views; control the natural ventilation and unwanted heat gain; and manage the abundant, natural light. At least eight different glass types were specified, including electrochromic glazing and triple-pane insulating glass units. Some of the 600 high-performance windows also feature between-glass “light louvers” to push light deeper into the interior. Every workstation has 100 percent daylighting, controlled by tintable glazing in some cases and custom, exterior “bonnet” sunshades in others. At night, the building’s climate sensors automatically open the clerestory windows to purge unwanted heat from the building, naturally cooling it for the next business day.

RETROFIT FINALIST
Corcoran Gallery
Washington, D.C.
Glazing contractor: LinEl Signature in Mooresville, Ind.
Supplier(s): Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope™ in Santa Monica, Calif.; PPG Industries in Pittsburgh; Solutia in St. Louis
How Glass Makes It Green: The historic skylights installed atop the museum in 1897 featured ¼-inch clear wired glass. Although the building owners were concerned with UV fading the artwork on the walls—as well as poor thermal performance—maintaining the historic look was critical. Ultimately the entire skylight was replaced with low-E coated laminated insulating glass units of varying transparency. Five types of glass were specified with various combinations of ceramic frits and opaque interlayers.

RETROFIT-WINNER
Empire State Building
New York
This window upgrade was one part of an integrated project that is expected to reduce energy use by 38 percent, save $4.4 million per year in energy costs, and save a minimum of 105,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide over the next 15 years. The project is said to have a 3-year payback.
Suppliers/Installers: Serious Materials in Sunnyvale, Calif.; Southwall Technologies Inc. in Palo Alto, Calif.
How Glass Makes It Green: Unique to this project, all 6,500 windows in the building was re-used rather than removed and replaced with new glass. An approximately 5,000-square-foot production facility was set up on the 5th floor of the Empire State Building to do this. As the original insulating glass was removed from each window frame, at night so as not to disturb building occupants, it was taken to the production facility where workers would unseal the insulating glass, and clean both pieces. Next, workers would assemble inside the original uncoated insulating glass a coated film. The insulating performance of the updated IGUs increased the R-value from about R-2 to between R-5 and R-8, depending on the location/orientation of the window, while also reducing the solar heat gain by 50 percent. The original thermally broken aluminum frames were updated with new weather-stripping and hardware to improve the overall infiltration rates. Finally, each unit would be resealed, and the “new” IGU would be put back in the original window frames before the start of the next business day.

NEW CONSTRUCTION FINALISTS
SAP Headquarters Building
Architect: FXFOWLE Architects in New York
Glazing contractor: APG International in Glassboro, N.J.
Supplier(s): Viracon in Owatonna, Minn.
How Glass Makes It Green: The challenge on this project was to design a building enclosure with continuous glazing that maximizes daylight and views, while remaining energy-efficient. This was largely accomplished through the use of high performance triple-glazed insulating glass units incorporated into the curtainwall façade. The custom argon-filled, low-E coated insulating glass units were shop-glazed into the energy-efficient curtainwall framing system and installed onsite as a unitized curtainwall system. The building’s sensor system is integrated with the exterior shading devices incorporated in the glass curtainwall façade to automatically adjust the light transmitted and help control the temperature level in the facility. The floor-to-ceiling glass exterior and green roof integrate the office with its natural surroundings to create an exceptional work environment. SAP estimates that the building is one-third more energy-efficient compared to conventional buildings using intelligent design features.

Westhampton Free Library
Westhampton Beach, N.Y.
Architect: Ward Associates P.C. in Bohemia, N.Y.
Glazing contractor: Sandpebble Builders Inc. in Southampton, N.Y.
Supplier(s): Kolbe & Kolbe Millwork Co. Inc. in Wausau, Wis.; Cardinal Corp. in Eden Prairie, Minn.
How Glass Makes It Green: The architect chose 8-foot-high, oversized windows mimicking traditional, cottage-style, double-hung windows to overlook the 1,800-square-foot reading garden on the south side of the library, maximizing daylighting. According to the architect, the high energy performance of the windows helps the new library to reduce energy costs by 35-percent below the ASHRAE 90.1 baseline building model.

Consol Energy Center
Pittsburgh
Architect: Populous in Kansas City, Mo.; Astorino in Pittsburgh
Glazing contractor: D-M Products Inc. in Bethel Park, Pa.; Universal Glass & Metals Inc. in Detroit
Supplier(s): Kawneer in Norcross, Ga.
How Glass Makes It Green: Creating a feeling of openness throughout the facility was a key design element, bolstered by the curtainwall, which comprises the entire downtown-facing west side of the facility. Besides providing views of the city, the serpentine-like glass façade allows daylight to reach deep into the building. The curtainwall’s framing was selected specifically to help enhance thermal performance and energy efficiency. In addition, sunshades were used on the exterior of the facility to help reduce solar heat gain; the 30-inch projections help shade interiors and conserve energy.

Building 115
Seattle
Architect: Graham Baba Architects in Seattle
Glazing contractor: Issaquah Glass Inc. in Issaquah, Wash.
Supplier(s): Technical Glass Products in Snoqualmie, Wash.
How Glass Makes It Green: Translucent in nature, the channeled glass disperses light in a soft, even manner to avoid the negative effects of overly focused sun, including unnecessary glare, shadows and heat transfer. The channels also have up to 75 percent light transmission, helping to reduce the required amount of electrical lighting. They have a solar heat-gain coefficient of 0.70 and, since the building’s channel glass incorporates insulating Nanogel® aerogel, their U-value is near 0.19. Thermally broken frames further help prevent temperature transfer to the interior frame, as well as condensation issues.

Lindsey-Flanigan Courthouse
Denver
Architect: Klipp, Ricci Greene Associates in Denver and Harold Massop Associates Architects in Denver
Glazing contractor: Trainor Glass in Alsip, Ill.
Supplier(s): Kawneer in Norcross, Ga.; Skyline Skylight in Colorado Springs, Colo.
How Glass Makes It Green: The east curtainwall, which uses recycled billet, hangs 12 feet above the walking path. The connecting soffit is a series of vent windows that are powered by motors to open inward and upward. These windows are wired into the HVAC system and programmed to open automatically when the conditions are right, flooding the atrium with fresh air. In addition, the curtainwall was fabricated and glazed less than 500 miles from the jobsite, helping contribute additional LEED® certification points. The project’s LEED® Gold rating is currently pending.

Le Bonheur
Children’s Medical Center
Memphis, Tenn.
Architect: HKS Architects in Dallas, Texas
Glazing contractor: BHN Corp. in Memphis, Tenn.
Supplier(s): Vitro America in Memphis, Tenn.; Guardian Glass in Auburn Hills, Mich.
How Glass Makes It Green: The medical center features nearly 90,000 square feet of high-performance insulating glass that contributes to the buildings goal of saving 25 to 30 percent on overall energy costs. The high-performance, low-E insulating glass was made due to the hot climate that Memphis can bring. With a 0.23 solar heat gain coefficient, the glass works in combination with the building’s other sustainable features to meet the design team’s stated energy goals, and to provide a sharp and crisp look.

Huntington Center
Toledo, Ohio
Architect: HNTB Architecture in Washington, D.C.; The Collaborative Inc. in Toledo, Ohio; Poggemeyer Architects in Bowling Green, Ohio
Glazing contractor: Toledo Mirror and Glass in Toledo, Ohio
Supplier(s): Pilkington in Toledo, Ohio; Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope™ in Santa Monica, Calif.
How Glass Makes It Green: The 8,000-seat arena, which opened in October 2009, uses an energy-efficient combination of low-E in the glass units for the approximately 25,000-square-foot exterior façade. The low-E glass provides substantial energy savings and significantly reduces demand on regulated energy systems. The combination used provides good insulation as well as solar control benefits: it reduces the solar heat gain, reflectivity and provides glare control for the Center. Glass also was used for interior stair wells, balustrades and boxes to give spectators the clearest possible view of the action taking place in the main hall.

Cyan Apartment Building
Portland, Ore.
Architect: THA Architecture Inc. in Portland, Ore.
Glazing contractor: Toro Aluminum Ltd. in Portland, Ore.
Supplier(s): Guardian Glass in Auburn Hills, Mich.; Protemp Glass Inc. in Concord, Ontario
How Glass Makes It Green: The community-focused apartment building features community indoor and outdoor spaces, a green-roof and convenient interior recycling collection—as well as high-performance glass to reduce solar heat gain and provide a neutral appearance. Additional sustainable elements include energy-efficient speed chillers and fan coil units for heating and cooling. Overall energy savings are approximately 20 percent better than code, saving $42,000 a year in energy costs.

Pacific Design
Center RED Building
Los Angeles
Architect: Pelli Clarke Pelli in New Haven, Conn., Gruen Associates in Los Angeles
Glazing contractor: Permasteelisa in Windsor, Conn.
Supplier(s): SYP Glass in Shanghai; Ferro Corp. in Cleveland, Ohio
How Glass Makes It Green: The building features high-efficiency double glazed windows with a “no-lead” red ceramic frit.

Manassas Park Elementary School
Manassas, Va.
Architect: VMDO Architects in Charlottesville, Va.
Glazing contractor: Del-Ray Glass Co. Inc. in Alexandria, Va.
Supplier(s): PPG Industries in Pittsburgh
How Glass Makes It Green: The elementary school is designed as a group of three houses, each with plenty of natural daylighting. Classrooms in each house is oriented to face north or south, and are situated around courtyards that maximize the ability of students to connect to the outdoors. As a result of this design, the installed interior lighting power for the school falls 38 percent below ASHRAE 90.1 requirements. Low-E glass contributes high light transmission and exceptional solar control characteristics as part of a high-performance envelope that incorporates tubular skylight, solar-selective glazing and other technologies. The school also makes use of projecting shade devices that control sunlight transmitted through south-facing exposures, reflecting light louvers that maximize daylighting from select window panes and sloped classroom ceilings that optimize natural light penetration.

Watsonville Water Resources Center
Watsonville, Calif.
Architect: WRNS Studio in San Francisco
Glazing contractor: Pacific Glazing Contractors in Morgan Hill, Calif.
Supplier(s): PPG Industries in Pittsburgh; Lane-Aire in Carson, Calif.; Kawneer in Norcross, Ga.; NanaWall in Mill Valley, Calif.
How Glass Makes It Green: An east-west site orientation takes maximum advantage of northern California’s abundant sunlight, while numerous interior elements were planned to give occupants a direct visual and tactile connection to the outdoors. Examples include a line of skylights that bathe the building’s main central corridor in sunlight and private offices that are equipped with glass sidelites and operable clerestory windows. These features, together with automatic daylight control and daylight harvesting systems, create constant interplay with the outdoors, not just through the views, but also by providing occupants with the means to naturally (and energy-efficiently) manage ambient light, temperature, air quality and ventilation. Barriers between the indoors and outdoors are further reduced by large windows at the end of each corridor and other strategically located skylights that further minimize artificial lighting demands.

Hunters Point Shipyard
Community Center
San Francisco
Glazing contractor: Ahlborn Structural Steel in Santa Rosa, Calif.
Supplier(s): YKK AP in Dublin, Ga.; PPG Industries in Pittsburgh
How Glass Makes It Green: The Center is expected to use 30 percent less energy than required by California Title 24 Energy Code. This feat is achieved through multiple design strategies, including high-performance glazing and shading, as well as the addition of photovoltaics. The large amount of vision area with high-performance low-E glass on the north faces of the building, along with the high clerestory windows, promote daylighting while minimizing heat gain. The building is predicted to require 83 percent less heating, 55 percent less cooling and 54 percent less lighting energy than a typical building located within the state.

1 Bank of America Center
Charlotte, N.C.
Architect: Perkins + Will in Chicago
Glazing contractor: Trainor Glass in Alsip, Ill.
Supplier(s): PPG Industries in Pittsburgh
How Glass Makes It Green: Among the architect’s requirements was a glass with high visible light transmission for the indoors vegetation, as well as the aesthetics. The prevalent use of glass allows for lush interior forestry, most evident in the “Urban Garden,” a soaring six-story atrium that serves as an informal gathering spot for tenants and visitors to downtown Charlotte.

Michael J. Homer Science & Student Life Center
Atherton, Calif.
Architect: Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects in San Francisco
Glazing contractor: U.S. Glass & Aluminum in Pittsburg, Calif.
Supplier(s): PPG Industries in Pittsburgh
How Glass Makes It Green: Low-E glass is part of a high-performance building envelope that is oriented to maximize daylighting and reduce the need for artificial, heating, cooling and lighting. Ninety-eight percent of occupied spaces in the building have views of the outdoors and 55 percent of all building spaces use daylight as the primary light source. In addition, the building uses building integrated photovoltaics to generate electricity on-site.

NEW CONSTRUCTION-WINNER
Manitoba Hydro Place
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Manitoba Hydro Place integrates a variety of sustainable technologies to create a “living building” that dynamically responds to the local climate. A biodynamic double façade is the building’s pubic face and also one of its most vital sustainable components.
Architect: Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architect in Toronto; Smith Carter Architects & Engineers in Winnipeg, Manitoba
Glazing contractor: Fergson Neudorf Glass Inc. in St. Catharines, Ontario; Border Glass & Aluminum in Winnipeg, Manitoba
Supplier(s): Viracon in Owatonna, Minn.; PPG Industries in Pittsburgh
How Glass Makes It Green: The building’s unique, double façade curtainwall system is comprised of an insulating glass outer wall with a monolithic inner wall, separated by a three-foot buffer zone. A low-iron glass substrate with a low-E coating offer both high light transmission and powerful solar energy control, with a visible light transmittance of 80 percent that allows daylight to penetrate the floor-to-ceiling glazing and reach deep into the building’s core. Its low U-values reduce radiant heat transfer and improve the building’s overall energy performance. Automated exterior wall vents in the outer curtainwall (controlled by the building management system) allow fresh air into the building, year-round. Manually operated windows on the interior curtainwall allow employees to control their individual environment, which studies have shown enhances employee well-being and productivity while reducing absenteeism. Even in a city known for its extreme climate, the 695,000-square-foot tower uses less than one-quarter of the energy used by a typical large-scale North American office tower located in a more temperate climate.