MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A new state-of-the-art research facility at Argonne National Laboratory is using dynamic glass from SAGE to save energy and improve the way people experience daylight in the building. The project is one of the first commercial buildings to incorporate electrochromic glass from SAGE’s new high-volume manufacturing facility. Located next to its global headquarters in Minnesota, SAGE’s new facility is the world’s largest and most advanced dynamic glass manufacturing plant. The facility is able to produce dynamic glass in high volumes and in larger commercial, architectural sizes at an affordable cost. The Advanced Protein Crystallization Facility (APCF) at Argonne will provide researchers with the most advanced technology for protein science experiments in the nation. Chicago-based architectural firm SmithGroupJJR designed the APCF to attain LEED® Gold certification and provide an ideal environment for scientific collaboration while also being highly energy efficient. To achieve that goal, architects designed a south-facing curtain wall with more than 2,000 square feet of SageGlass®, which will harvest maximum daylight while reducing glare and heat gain. According to a National Renewable Energy Laboratory study1, maximizing daylight in buildings not only saves energy through reduced lighting and heating load requirements, but improves the physiological and psychological well-being of occupants. SageGlass also provides an unobstructed view to the forest preserve that surrounds the campus, while enabling natural light to penetrate deeper into indoor work spaces typically deficient in natural light. Together, these environmental enhancements will improve the well-being of Argonne scientists and enable them to be more productive.
