DYNAMIC GLAZING CASE STUDY

Photos courtesy of Saint-Gobain SageGlass

Project: Village Center Dining and Community Commons
Location: Boulder, Colorado
Architect: KSQ Architects

The Project: University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder) leaders sought to build an open and welcoming new facility for students and staff to dine, gather, and collaborate. Based on actual student survey input, the new facility would have to showcase the stunning views of campus and the Rocky Mountains beyond, including the famous Boulder Flatirons. Energy efficiency and sustainable building practices were also high on the list of student-driven requirements.

The Design: Showcasing the outdoor views would require abundant amounts of glass to be incorporated into the facility design, which presented a challenge for project architects. They had to find a way to control the glare and sunlight infiltration that could otherwise compromise indoor comfort and increase energy consumption due to solar heat gain.

The state-of-the-art building also incorporates a host of advanced sustainability features, including sensor-detecting HVAC systems to optimize performance and native plants that reduce irrigation requirements. A bio-digester also converts food waste to be safely added to the wastewater supply.

The Fenestration: CU Boulder and KSQ Architects ultimately chose to incorporate electronically tintable dynamic glazing into the new Village Center Dining and Community Commons. The selected glass automatically tints and clears based on sun intensity to maximize natural light, delivering unobstructed outdoor views at all hours while preventing glare and overheating indoors—with no shades or blinds required. The dynamic glass helps to create a comfortable, collaborative environment for students to dine, study, relax, and work together on projects.

The Results: With the new Village Center Dining and Community Commons, CU Boulder has successfully developed a comfortable space that balances an enhanced campus experience with environmental responsibility—while keeping the Boulder Flatirons in full view during daylight hours. “By incorporating sustainable, innovative building materials like dynamic glazing, students will be able to dine, study, and relax in an environment free from heat gain and glare,” says Tom Goodhew, assistant director of planning and design at CU Boulder. “Our students and staff were our first priority when it came time to build this beautiful new facility. We have successfully created a space that will meet their needs for years to come.”

Photos courtesy of Saint-Gobain SageGlass

Dynamic glazing installed at UC Boulder’s Village Center Dining and Community Commons creates an energizing, sustainable environment while maintaining a clear view to the Flatiron Mountains. Shown here in three different tint zones, students and faculty can always experience the ideal balance between comfort and daylighting.