SageGlass® on the university campus

On the campus of Binghamton University in Johnson City (New York State, USA), a 1916 industrial building is getting a new lease of life. Saint-Gobain participated in this renovation project with its SageGlass® solutions.

SageGlass® sur les bancs de l’université
©SageGlass®

In 2019, Binghamton University in Johnson City, New York (United States), began renovating a former shoe factory into a state-of-the-art medical campus: the Decker College of Nursing and Health Sciences. Designing this high-tech campus while conserving the historic character of the building - which is on the nation's heritage register - was not easy. The project teams had to renovate 8,600 m2 of the old factory and build a 1,860 m2 annex, all with high requirements for comfort, energy efficiency and aesthetics.

The appearance of the factory's façades, evocative of early 20th century architecture, had to be preserved. However, it was impossible to meet modern energy standards by using the original lattice pattern, which caused thermal bridges in the glazing. To avoid this problem, while preserving the original appearance of the building, the teams chose to use large windows with lattice bars glued directly onto the glass.

The building was equipped with nearly 1,000 m2 of SageGlass® electrochromic glazing (made in the United States in Minnesota), which tints dynamically to reduce glare and heat. With the windows primarily facing west and east, it was imperative to find a solution that would minimize the heat from the sun while avoiding the need for blinds. SageGlass® LightZone® ticked all the boxes, since a single pane of glass can create up to three independent tint zones, blocking the sun in a targeted way and optimizing the natural light gain. Solutions that are both sustainable and high-performance, guaranteeing user comfort while meeting the challenges of a historic renovation.

Click here for more details about this project.