July 12, 2006—The Twin Lakes Elementary School, Elk, River, Minnesota, will feature electronically tintable SageGlass windows installed in the building’s science center. At the push of a button, the glass will switch from a clear to highly tinted state, actively controlling daylight, heat gain, and glare, while maintaining the view outdoors, according to the manufacturer SAGE Electrochromatic.
These benefits along with other sustainable design strategies aid the school district’s pursuit of US Green Building Council’s Gold Certification under the LEED Rating System.
In addition to contributing to its learning environment, the innovative window system will become part of the curriculum for the school’s 750 students. The SageGlass application will be the focus of a “learning lab” in which Twin Lakes’ students will conduct energy- and temperature-related comparisons between their SageGlass-equipped science center and their classrooms with conventional windows and shading.
Besides incorporating SageGlass product into the school district’s elementary school science curriculum as a learning tool, Dr. Ron Brattlie, director of business and operations for Elk River Area School District ISD 728, says, “One of the main drivers of the design and construction of this $18 million project is energy conservation, and that is one of the things that spurred our choice of SageGlass units. This product’s capacity for suppressing solar heat gain will result in significant cooling and heating savings for Twin Lakes.”
According to Helen Sanders, SAGE’s VP of customer solutions, it takes less electricity to power and control 1,500-sq.ft of SageGlass products per day than it does to power a 60-watt incandescent light bulb. The US Dept. of Energy estimates that electronically tintable window systems are capable of providing up to 40% savings on energy bills, 20% savings on operating costs, 24% reduction in peak demand, and a 25% decrease in the size of HVAC systems.
Glare control, another feature, will enable better use of PCs and other equipment for which glare minimization is necessary. The science center is on the south-facing side of the school and is located near the building’s core. The window units are fabricated into window systems manufactured by Wausau Window and Wall Systems and installed by W.L. Hall Company.
For more information visit the SAGE Web site.
