On the Fly

For Dynamic Glass, Airports

are an Intriguing Sector

b y N i c k S t . D e n i s

he office, educational and healthcare building

segments have been primary adopters of electro-

chromic dynamic glass. The ability to program

various levels of tint to adjust light transmittance,

This was the case at the Minneapolis-Saint Paul

Airport, which recently underwent a retrofit of an

east-facing façade in one of its terminals. As is the

situation with most airport projects, the design

team didn’t have the luxury of positioning the

facades based on sun direction, as they often are

at the mercy of runway and roadway orientation.

“Because of the orientation of the building,

t

glare and solar heat gain is a welcome amenity in

these environments, where occupant comfort is at

a premium.

But what about a certain type of structure that

consistently uses massive spans of glass and houses the checkpoint had to be developed in a way in

large numbers of people every day?

What about airports?

which workers would be facing southeast through

the glass with the sun penetrating directly into

their eyes,” says architect Greg Maxam of the firm

Alliiance, which designed the project.

Faced with this challenge, his team conducted

solar studies on how it could implement glass in

Meeting Needs

“

It’s kind of a neat, self-contained niche,” says

SageGlass director of customer experience Derek

Malmquist. “Every major metropolitan area has an a way that would maximize views and daylight

airport. And just like what we’ve seen in health- while minimizing glare and heat gain. It ultimately

care, they’re starting to think more about the ben- settled on using Sage’s electrochromic glass, which

efits of occupant comfort—for both the employees

and the guests traveling through.”

is zoned both horizontally and vertically to various

tint levels depending on time of day and year.

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Maxam says the upper portion of the façade

also includes Solera translucent glazing to maxi-

mize daylight.

“

The combination of using electrochromic glass

in the view range with a translucent product in

the upper section was very useful and has been a

success,” he says. “And we were also able to meet

other specialty considerations that come with air-

ports, such as security.”

It was Maxam’s first project working with elec-

trochromic glass, but he plans to implement it

again in future transportation structure designs.

Its electrochromic glass was recently installed

at the new Delta Sky Club in the Seattle-Tacoma

International Airport. The glass allows members

and guests to enjoy unobstructed views of Mount

Rainier without glare or thermal discomfort. It

also enables the facility owner to maintain tem-

perature at optimal levels and maximize the nat-

ural daylight by eliminating the need for internal

blinds and shading structures.

The Minneapolis-St. Paul

Airport, which applied

SageGlass in a façade

renovation, is a prime

example of how the

airport building segment

is an intriguing prospect

for electrochromic glass.

No More Shade

View, another manufacturer of dynamic glass,

has seen a rising interest in dynamic glass in the

airport segment for the same purposes and appli-

cations. As large expanses of glass continue from

the entrances into the gates and waiting areas, so

do the opportunities for the product.

The ability of dynamic glass to replace these

devices has been a key benefit of focus, aside from

the solar control capabilities.

continued on page 20

Spring 2017

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19

On the Fly

continued from page 19

View’s dynamic

glass was used

in the façade of a

new administration

building at Meacham

International Airport

in Fort Worth, Texas.

“

0 feet tall, where using blinds and traditional

You’ll see glass walls anywhere from ten to

Seeing the Value

2

Manufacturers in the industry still see commer-

cial and institutional buildings such as offices,

hospitals and educational facilities as the top users

of dynamic glass. However, the airport sector and

transportation segment as a whole has proven a

worthy market area.

shading systems is less desirable,” says Brandon

Tinianov, vice president of business development

at View. “In addition to that, airports have

mandates—either self-imposed or externally—

to be the destination and representation of the

future. Pulling down manual blinds in 2020 is

non-sustainable.”

Tinianov says another demand driver he was

surprised to learn about was a plea from mainte-

nance staff and interior design teams seeking an

alternative to automatic shading devices. “They

don’t like the idea of maintaining automated

blinds,” he says.

The airport segment provides for a variety of

applications beyond the main terminal and gate

areas. For example, View had its dynamic glass

installed on the facades of a new administration

building at Meacham International Airport in

Fort Worth, Texas.

“The pre-conception of airports is that they’re

slow and take five to ten years to complete the

design and construction process,” says Tinianov.

“But we’ve found they’re more agile than what we

initially thought, sometimes in the two- to three-

year window. And even the more long-term

projects are beneficial.”

Malmquist adds that the airport sector reinforc-

es the value proposition of electrochromic glass.

“Whether you’re considering the employees

working there all day or the guests coming through,

it solves the typical problems of heat and glare,” he

says. “And what’s great is it serves this dual benefit

for both the travelers and workers. That’s the thing

about airports that is a bit unique.” AGG

Sage’s glass was also recently used in a

smaller airport application at the King County

International Airport in Seattle. The electrochro-

mic glazing was applied at its on-site aircraft rescue Glass & Metal. He can be reached at nstdenis@glass.com.

Nick St. Denis is the editor of Architects’ Guide to

and fire-fighting station.

Follow him on Twitter @NickStDenis.

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