Greentown Labs Opens Global Center for Cleantech Innovation with Support from Saint-Gobain

Executives from Greentown Labs, Saint-Gobain and other sponsors celebrate the grand opening of the Global Center for Cleantech Innovation. Photo: Bill McCormack 

Greentown Labs, a U.S.-based clean technology incubator, officially opened its expansion site, the Global Center for Cleantech Innovation. Saint-Gobain contributed building science expertise and building products from its family of companies to renovate a historic building that is now the home to 80 cleantech startup companies that are working to solve climate challenges with their hardware-focused innovations.

Saint-Gobain created a first-of-its-kind partnership with Greentown Labs, located in Somerville, Mass., in 2014. Saint-Gobain was the first and largest example of a corporation using the expansion facility as a test site for its products and materials. As a founding sponsor of Greentown Labs, the expansion site presented an opportunity for the company to enhance its support of the incubator and its own research and development efforts by providing building materials to make the center a world-class facility that maximizes the comfort and well-being of members of Greentown Labs.

The Global Center for Cleantech Innovation was designed using innovative technology from two of Saint-Gobain’s brands: CertainTeed and SageGlass. Approximately 830 square feet of SageGlass, electrochromic glass, was installed on the third floor of the center to help achieve the building’s sustainability goals while creating a workplace that optimizes employee well-being by maintaining outdoor views and preventing heat gain and glare. Member feedback will allow building scientists to measure the impact SageGlass has on occupant comfort. The data collected and subsequent analysis will impact future product and business development directly.

CertainTeed installed a suite of its products in the center, including a 33,000-square-foot Flintlastic SA self-adhered roof system and an array of acoustical ceiling and wall solutions that create a quiet, comfortable environment conducive to occupant productivity while also conserving energy and resources.

The expanded facility is allowing Saint-Gobain to maintain its existing test facilities and increase on-site prototyping capabilities, available to Greentown Labs members and Saint-Gobain employees.