From Florida to Utah, architects and contractors have found a new way to create innovative designs that take full advantage of sunny days. Guardian Industries Corp. — one of the world’s leading manufacturers of glass products — has added SunGuard® SNX 51/23 glass to its SuperNeutral® series that, according to Chris Dolan, Director of Marketing for Guardian North America, “… can help buildings meet the most stringent energy codes in North America without sacrificing appearance.”
Atlanta, Ga.
In Atlanta, JE Dunn Construction used SNX 51/23 glass on its own Southeast headquarters. The renovation of the existing building included the addition of an expansive foyer and glazed façade.
© Bob Hughes
Photo courtesy of Brilliance Photography
“JE Dunn asked us to locate the best-performing glass we could find,” says Jeff Post, sales manager for Glass Stream, the project’s commercial glazier, “And it was good timing, as SunGuard SNX 51/23 glass was new to the industry. Everyone was impressed with the performance numbers.” SunGuard SNX 51/23 glass has a visible light transmission of 51 percent and a solar heat gain coefficient of 0.23. This performance means the foyer allows abundant natural light to reach the interior while managing solar heat gain — even through a hot Georgia summer. And, aesthetically, the glass offers low reflectivity and a desirable neutral blue appearance.
Myrtle Beach, S.C.
The Ocean 22 Hilton Grand Vacation Club, designed by Garvin Design Group, is the first new oceanfront resort in the area in seven years. While planning the impressive atrium, architect Mark Timbes needed to find a high-performance glass that would bring in ample natural light without the added heat gain, per the international energy code that the state adopted in 2009. Guardian helped his team create, he says, “… essentially a 200-foot-tall bay window.”
But it wasn’t just about daylight and energy efficiency: as Myrtle Beach is known for its high winds, the Ocean 22 also required large and small missile-impact glazing. “The glass had to do a lot,” says Timbes. “It had to achieve the structural integrity and the energy code requirements. We used colored interlayers within the glass to create different effects for shielding functions we didn’t want visible to the public. But we still wanted to allow daylight into the interior. At the time, SunGuard SNX 51/23 glass was one of the few glazing products that would achieve all the features we were looking for.”
Timbes and his team have already found additional uses for the newest SunGuard product across the state. A new building for the University of South Carolina is currently in development, and a new resort is currently under construction in Hilton Head — both will feature SNX 51/23 glass.
Salt Lake City, Utah
Across the country in Utah, the architects at Arch Nexus found the newest SunGuard glass, SNX 51/23, to be an ideal solution for their community-inspired Glendale Library in Salt Lake City. Influenced by local input, the library has been crafted from reclaimed wood, features a commissioned art mosaic representing local cultures, and offers decorative paving to symbolize the nearby Jordan River.
Photo courtesy of Arch Nexus Inc.
“The curvature of the building came out of the public outreach process and is a representation of arms reaching out to the community, inviting them into the building while creating a front porch,” says principal architect Jeff Davis. Of course, for that porch to be as inviting as possible, it needed to be open, airy, and sunny — features they wanted to continue throughout the building.
Photo courtesy of Arch Nexus Inc.
“The original design intent was to implement day lighting for all interior occupied spaces,” says Keith Jensen, associate at Arch Nexus. “One of the challenges during the design process was to balance the large amounts of glass with the building envelope energy performance goals.”
Photo courtesy of Arch Nexus Inc.
Arch Nexus eventually discovered SunGuard SNX 51/23 glass. With this find, Arch Nexus was able to complete the “welcoming porch” concept throughout the building, which visually enlarges the spaces and provides staff with greater visibility.
Photo courtesy of Arch Nexus Inc.
“[The glazing] was a significant architectural element that helped us achieve a rhythm of punched openings across the curvature of the wall, which was again indicative of the many cultures and ways of life in the community,” Davis adds.
“The project has been open for several months now, and everyone has been surprised by the extensive use of the facility,” says Jensen. “The most frequent comments about the building relate to how wonderfully open and bright the space is through the use of natural light.”
Photo courtesy of Arch Nexus Inc.
Whether driven by high performance requirements or exceptional aesthetic qualities, SunGuard SNX 51/23 glass is the ideal solution to ensure occupant comfort and client and team satisfaction.
