US-based glass manufacturer Pilkington Libbey-Owens-Ford now offers a high-performance architectural glass that according to the company gives architects and designers a wide range of aesthetic opport…
US-based glass manufacturer Pilkington Libbey-Owens-Ford now offers a high-performance architectural glass that according to the company gives architects and designers a wide range of aesthetic opportunities. LOF SuperGreyTM high performance tinted float glass from Pilkington LOF has a “cool-grey” neutral appearance that complements a variety of exterior design materials. LOF SuperGrey glass provides privacy to building occupants with its nearly opaque exterior appearance, yet, according to the company, allows for a vibrant view of the outside environment. “LOF SuperGrey glass makes buildings “user-friendly“”, said Mike Krasula, LOF architectural product manager. “It offers a pleasing exterior appearance while still providing a clear outward view. Because of its unique qualities, it is ideal for today“s office environment where computers are commonplace. LOF SuperGrey glass helps reduce solar glare from terminals and from direct sunlight through windows.” In addition to helping create a pleasant visual working environment, Pilkington LOF states that LOF SuperGrey glass helps create a comfortable working environment through its high-performance qualities. According to the company, LOF SuperGrey glass offers the lowest shading coefficient (0.23 in a 25-mm insulating glass (I.G.) unit with clear float glass inboard) of any uncoated float glass available today. It also provides a solar transmittance of just 6%, a U-value (ASHRAE) of 0.48 and blocks 99% of UV rays, which helps prevent fading of carpet and other materials. The performance qualities of LOF SuperGrey glass are enhanced when combined with LOF Energy Advantage(R) Low-E Glass in an IG unit. This combination was used in a renovation project in Phoenix, Arizona, US. Glass in the Occupational Licensing Building, a state government facility, needed to be replaced because many windows of the building“s original glass – high-performance gold reflective product – had failed. In planning for the project, consultant David Tait of Tait Solar Co. in Phoenix, looked for a high-performance glass that controlled heat gain, solar glare and was readily available. After meeting with Pilkington LOF Architectural Marketing Specialist Grant Muller, Tait specified LOF SuperGrey and Energy Advantage low-E glasses. “One of the primary reasons we specified LOF SuperGrey glass for the project was that, if a glazing unit ever broke, an off-the-shelf replacement was readily available,” Tait explained. Because the original glazing was a high-performance product, said Tait, its replacement also had to be energy efficient. “When the project team looked at LOF SuperGrey over pyrolytically coated LOF low-E, they saw that it performed comparably to the sputter-coated product originally installed,” Muller said. Another primary reason why LOF SuperGrey glass was chosen was because it reduces glare from interior lighting systems as well as solar glare. “Being an office building, there are computers in almost every room. So it was very important to keep solar-related glare to a minimum. At the same time, LOF SuperGrey still provided good outward visibility,” Tait added. With worldwide distribution available as part of the Pilkington Group of companies, orders for LOF SuperGrey glass and other products can be shipped with a relatively short lead time. The Occupational Licensing Building uses 6-mm LOF SuperGrey outboard with 6 mm Energy Advantage low-E Glass in a 25-mm IG unit. The glazing contractor was Double SS Glass, also from Phoenix.