Rita Catinella Orrell was previously products editor at Architectural Record and the founding editor of Snap, a quarterly building products magazine. she launched DesignyThings.com, a curated list of gifts, gadgets, and gear for consumers, in 2011 and Architects-Toybox.com, a resource for architects and designers looking for the latest building products, in 2013. This post originally appeared on Architects-Toybox.com.
What better venue for a glass manufacturer to showcase their latest glass products than on their very own technology center? That is the case with Guardian Industries’ newly expanded Science and Technology Center (STC) in Carleton, Mich., a 27,000-square-foot addition that opened in January 2015. Located 32 miles southwest of Detroit, the STC includes a full-size vacuum coater, a glass product showcase wall, a full-scale demonstration wall for advanced glazing technologies, and an upgraded and expanded laboratory space.
Front view of the Guardian Science and Technology Center in Carleton, Mich. The glossy black spandrel on the south façade is one of the first applications for Guardian’s new Spandrel HT product. Photo by Ara Howrani. All images courtesy of Guardian Glass.
I caught up with Guardian during last week’s AIA expo in Atlanta to discuss some of the advanced architectural glass products that make up the STC building, including a curtain wall using Guardian’s high-performance commercial glass products — specifically their new low-E SunGuard SNX 51/23 glass and SunGuard Spandrel HT — as well as building-integrated photovoltaic panels produced by another manufacturer. Guardian’s premier glass product, SunGuard SNX 51/23, contributes 51 percent visible light transmission and a solar heat gain coefficient of 0.23. According to Guardian, no other commercial glass on clear float produced in North America today offers this much light with so little heat.
Sacramento, Calif.-based Bagatelos Architectural Glass Systems designed and installed the façade system, which includes a full-size working model of the Bagatelos Net Zero Envelope. Although the facility is designed for net-zero energy use based on a typical office environment and associated energy consumption, as there are additional energy needs to run a world-class R&D center, the facility does currently use more energy than it generates.
Entrance of the STC facility. Image courtesy BAGS, nbagatelos@bagatelos.com.
Guardian’s InGlass interior products are also featured as part of the STC addition on applications including tables, whiteboards, credenzas, and countertops. These include Guardian Reveal switchable privacy glass; Guardian DiamondGuard, which protects glass from scratching up to ten times longer than ordinary glass; and Guardian Berman Glass editions, patterned-glass designs created by renowned glass artist Joel Berman and exclusively manufactured and distributed by Guardian.
Guardian SunGuard SNX 51 23 product.
Architects and designers interested in touring the Guardian Science and Technology Center should contact Amy Hennes at ahennes@guardian.com or 248-340-2109.
This article originally appeared on Architects-Toybox.com. You can follow Rita at RitaOrrell on Twitter, designythings on Instagram, architectstoybox on Facebook, and designythings on Pinterest.