by Shane Henson — January 11, 2012—SageGlass electronically tintable glass from SAGE Electrochromics is becoming a must-have for buildings owners wanting to optimize daylight and improve the human experience in buildings. Immanuel Bible Church in Springfield, Virginia is one of the latest entities to install the company’s dynamic glass, which they needed to enable state-of-the-art daylighting control as part of a multiyear, multimillion-dollar building expansion.
SageGlass now provides a simple, maintenance-free way to naturally illuminate and shade the interior of the project’s centerpiece: a 58-foot-high, 7,800-square-foot multi-use atrium used as a gathering space, theatre and conference hall, as well as a video-fed overflow venue for worship services. SageGlass is installed in the atrium’s upper story with six rows of hard-to-reach clerestory windows. Immanuel Bible Church configured SageGlass controls for three settings: fully tinted, intermediate tint, and clear.
The SageGlass-equipped atrium is a hub of activity, says the church’s leadership. It provides a place for connection, where people can gather for conversation. It is also used to host performances, concerts, movies and conferences, while the perimeter area is the site of ministry promotions. Precise lighting control is critical to the success of these various church functions.
Since the atrium’s clerestory windows are nearly inaccessible at up to 58 feet from the floor, the church selected SageGlass because it provides better light control, lightening and darkening at the push of a button without anyone needing to access the windows. According to project manager Ron Urice, the church considered using mechanized shades or blinds, but these options would have been impractical and more costly.
“Blinds wouldn’t have fit in well, while mechanized shades would have required rigging, expensive maintenance, and blocked out all of the sun,” he said. “SageGlass was cost competitive with these traditional sun controls, while offering the promise of much less maintenance requirements.”
