SoL Harris/Day Architecture
Workplace
Tuesday, December 06, 2011
By
In Sustainability
Why is a corner office so desired? Why is the penthouse expensive? Why do we not want living space in a basement to "feel like a basement"? It is all about the view. It is the light of the sun that we crave as human beings. When you talk to people about what they want in a workplace, natural light and views to the outside are always, always, always, mentioned.
Enter the see through and therefore under appreciated and often misunderstood window. It is so important to design windows correctly. Windows can either enhance a building or they can make the building too hot, too cold and an energy hog. Improperly designed, windows can actually make the energy efficiency of the building worse. Think about the effect of sunlight coming through a car windshield on a sunny summer day. The heat inside the car can very quickly become unbearable and even be deadly. In a building, if the windows allow all of this light and heat in, the air conditioning equipment has to be designed to remove this heat. This can get expensive.
The new SōL Harris/Day green building uses glass to enhance the building and the experience of those that will visit or work in the space. Both the design and the construction of the glass is state-of-the-art.
At every desk, people will have expansive views to the outside of the building. The design of the glass in the SōL Harris/Day building will allow the correct amount of visible light through, removing the heat in the summer but not in the winter. Most of the windows are on the south side of the building and are designed to be shaded in the summertime. When the sun is lower in the sky in the colder winter months, the light is below the shading devices and enters the space. State of the art energy coatings, tints, and glass films are all used to reduce glare, minimize summer heat gain and maximize insulating value.
Green construction techniques strive to build as much of the building as possible in a controlled factory environment. Much of the glass for the SōL Harris/Day building was fabricated in a factory just 3 miles from the job site. All of the frame/glass assembly and caulking was done in a controlled factory environment, increasing the quality of the job. Work in a factory is up to 50% more efficient than work at a job site and, therefore, lowers costs. 24-foot high panels were constructed at the factory, shipped to the job site and lifted into place. Glass installation that usually takes 5 days was completed onsite in just 1 1/2 days.
The move-in date is now 3 1/2 days sooner than if a traditional system were used. This lowers interest costs on the building and allows rent to be collected sooner. A good 'green' building usually has the ability to save some green in the wallet as well.
Matt Sutter
SōL Harris/Day Architecture
msutter@harrisday.com
330.493.3722
Anatomy of Our Team
Supplier/Installer
United Glass & Panel Systems, Inc.
Tom Nesbitt - 330.433.9220
1 of 22