Guardian has announced its participation and the contribution of Guardian SunGuard advanced architectural glass to the Fraunhofer Center for Sustainable Energy Systems (CSE) Building Technology Showcase, a first-of-its-kind research and demonstration building for sustainable technologies in Boston’s Innovation District.
Guardian is one of the more than 35 partners contributing a combined total of USD 2.7 million in advanced building energy technologies and services for the new “living laboratory.”
Guardian will supply SunGuard SuperNeutral 68 energy efficient glass. SunGuard SuperNeutral products are very transparent in appearance while still providing very high light to solar gain ratios. Guardian SunGuard SN 68 on a clear float glass substrate provides 68% visible light transmission and a solar heat gain coefficient of .38.
“Guardian is excited to be involved in the project. We are pleased Guardian glass will play a role in preserving this historic building and improving its overall energy efficiency,” said Chris Dolan, Director, Commercial Glass Marketing. “Our high performance low-E glass, in combination with the other technologies being incorporated in the project, will help provide significant energy savings and set a great example for energy efficiency that can be achieved in a building.”
Helping to implement this portion of the Fraunhofer project will be Peerless Products – a Guardian Select Commercial Window Fabricator.
Fraunhofer CSE is performing a deep energy retrofit and renovation of the historic, 100-year-old building at 5 Channel Center in Boston to transform it into a research and demonstration facility for advanced building energy technologies. CSE researchers will evaluate the reliability and effectiveness of the technologies incorporated into the building, helping technology developers prove out their products with building-integrated and other applied research, and showcasing these technologies in a state-of-the-art exhibition and educational space open to the public. The building will be Fraunhofer CSE’s new headquarters, housing its advanced research labs and staff.
Advancements in glass technology are an important consideration in the decision to retrofit an existing building such as the 5 Channel Center in Boston. The right glass is critical to a project’s ability to save energy and reduce costs.
As part of its vision for making the building a center of learning that promotes clean energy workforce development, Fraunhofer CSE also announced its commitment to partnering with numerous Massachusetts and regional institutions and businesses on workforce development initiatives once the new building is completed. Working with these partners and others, CSE will bring in student groups and workers entering the clean energy sector for technology demonstrations and training, seminars, and other events.
“In addition to making the Building Technology Showcase the premier research and demonstration laboratory for clean energy technologies, we are committed to making the building a venue where everyone – from seasoned architects and construction executives to students still deciding their future career paths – can visualize the performance and potential of the technologies incorporated into the building,” said Nolan Browne, Managing Director of Fraunhofer CSE. “Our goal is to present the information in innovative ways that engage visitors and create demand for these energy-saving systems and sustainable products in the market.”