by Shane Henson — June 1, 2012—SageGlass, the maker of an electronically tintable glass that improves the way people experience daylight in buildings, has helped another organization exceed its sustainability goals. According to the company, Chabot Community College in Hayward, California recently achieved LEED Platinum certification for their sustainably-designed student center building with the help of SageGlass’ dynamic glazing. The Community and Student Services Center (CSSC) is the centerpiece of the college’s “green intelligent building initiative,” serving more than 15,000 students, staff and faculty.
In designing the CSSC, architects at tBP/Architecture wanted to incorporate as much glass as possible into the space to flood the interior with daylight and keep a connection to the outdoors for the well-being of the students. They designed a building with an atrium that included a two-story, 2,900-square-foot south- and west-facing curtain wall, which posed significant glare and heat control challenges from the sun.
The CSSC uses SageGlass as a strategic element of an integrated daylighting control system to manage sunlight and heat gain. The dynamic glazing tints or clears within minutes, significantly reducing energy consumed for air conditioning, heating and lighting.
SageGlass glazing keeps glare and temperature under control throughout the day, making effective use of the natural ventilation system. The electronically tintable SageGlass adjusts to the flow of air through the natural ventilation scoops on the roof and thermal heating/cooling of the radiant slab in the atrium. As air is brought into the building over the roof, the amount of heat transmitting through the glass works with the heating/cooling of the slab to generate an airflow pattern through the facility. Depending on the targeted comfort zone, air is heated or cooled via the thermal slab and then allowed to rise out of the building without the use of an air-ducted ventilation system.
Sightlines to the surrounding campus grounds also remain unobstructed, while natural light reaches the interior spaces and reduces the need for artificial lighting.
