by Brianna Crandall — February 17, 2014—Wausau Window and Wall Systems, a part of Apogee Enterprises, recently announced that its unitized curtainwall, windows, light shelves and sun shades were chosen to help Salt Lake City’s newly opened Public Safety Building set a new standard in creating a functional, energy-efficient government structure in eye-catching Modern architecture.
The new facility is reportedly the first public safety building in the nation to be designed as a net-zero energy building, generating as much energy as it uses, and one of the first designed to meet the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification criteria.
The $125 million, 335,000 sq. ft. Public Safety Building includes 172,000 sq. ft. of space on four levels above ground, and 143,000 sq. ft. of secure parking below grade. In addition to housing Salt Lake City’s police and fire departments, it functions as the primary disaster/emergency operations center for the area.
The SLC-based GSBS Architects’ design incorporated a glass façade as a central element, featuring a serpentine glass curtainwall that slopes from one wing to the other and cants—or angles—in multiple directions. In addition to complementing the prevalent Modern style of architecture downtown, the glass exterior needed to meet seismic and ballistic requirements and contribute to the building’s LEED and net-zero energy objectives.
To address the engineering complexities, general contractor Okland Construction and glazing contractor LCG Façades quickly involved Wausau. Wausau stepped up to the challenge of making the curtainwall system segment and cant backward at 15 degrees and then change angle, while maintaining the cant through a reverse S curve. Since every piece, dimension and angle of the 135 trapezoidal curtainwall units is different, each component required close engineering and 3-D layout, along with precise and unique machining, fabrication, glazing and even shipping, notes Wausau.
For the Public Safety Building’s lobby and main floors, LCG installed more than 32,000 sq. ft. of Wausau’s INvision Thermal Unitized Curtainwall, including 19,150 sq. ft. of 7250i-UW Series and more than 13,000 sq. ft. of 6250i-HRX Series. INvision products combine the benefits of natural light and outside views with the recognized performance and recycled content that may aid buildings seeking LEED certification. The selected INvision systems incorporate polyamide thermal barriers that enhance system thermal performance, condensation resistance and energy efficiency.
Along with the curtainwall, LCG Façades installed nearly two dozen Wausau 4250-Z Zero Sightline casement windows on the building’s upper floors to support the project’s goals for natural ventilation and a connection to the outdoors for occupants. Also contributing to the facility’s net-zero energy goals, Wausau engineered and installed Clear Story interior light shelves and sun shades to allow light to penetrate deeper into the interior spaces.
Wausau’s aluminum frames, light shelves and sun shades contain recycled content averaging 70% or greater. Linetec finished these aluminum components in “MC Platinum” using a two-coat, 70% fluropolymer mica flake paint. As an environmentally conscious finisher, Linetec safely captures and destroys the VOCs present in liquid solvent-based paints at the factory before arrival on the building site, says the company. Wausau’s finished products reportedly comply with LEED indoor environmental quality credits for low-emitting materials.
Other design components and practices contributing to the facility’s net-zero and LEED-Platinum goals include:
- Controllable task lighting to complement daylighting
- Interior building materials with low-VOC (volatile organic compound) contents for improved air quality
- Photovoltaic panels within a glass awning that extends from the main entrance onto a newly created outdoor plaza, generating energy to power electrical outlets that are available for public use
- Rooftop photovoltaic panels to produce power for the building and high-reflectivity roofing materials that deflect heat
- Planted “green” roof areas that reduce the amount of water that enters the storm drain system and keeps the building and surrounding environment cooler, plus other on-site rain gardens and water-efficient landscape design
- Bicycle racks for staff and public use, and reserved parking stalls for low-emissions vehicles
- High-efficiency mechanical systems, including rooftop solar water heating system
- In-floor radiant tubes to assist in heating and cooling the building
An Animation Video of the new Public Safety Building is available on YouTube, and a news article about the facility by the president and CEO of GSBS Architects is available on the EDC magazine site.
