PITTSBURGH, December 10, 2018 — Vitro Architectural Glass (formerly PPG Glass) announced that The Spheres, Amazon’s new glass-domed headquarters in downtown Seattle, has won a Best of Design Award in the “Facades” category from Architects’ Newspaper. The 650,000-square-foot structure was constructed with Solarban^® 60 and Starphire Ultra-Clear^® glasses by Vitro Architectural Glass.

Designed by NBBJ, Seattle, as a trio of conjoined glass domes, The Spheres features five floors of meeting, relaxation and collaborative space, and contains terraces, a waterfall, river features and a forest garden consisting of more than 40,000 plants.

Solarban^® 60 and Starphire Ultra-Clear^® glasses were chosen by NBBJ for their clarity and ability to facilitate photosynthesis. Maximizing the amount of solar energy entering the building while limiting heat was imperative, according to David Sadinsky, a senior associate with the firm. “Anything we did on the glass or low-e coating that would interfere with that process was a barrier,” he explained. “That led us to look at glass composition, which eventually drove us to low-iron glass and a specific low-e coating that allowed for 480 nanometers of light to come in while rejecting heat.”

NBBJ modeled more than two dozen glass products before specifying Solarban^® 60 coating on a Starphire Ultra-Clear^® glass substrate. “The primary performance criteria we were looking for was the ability of the glass to transmit a specific portion of the solar spectrum to facilitate photosynthesis, while still providing a nice architectural appearance and a clean, white-appearing light,” Sadinsky added.

When united in a standard one-inch insulating glass unit (IGU), Solarban^® 60 on Starphire Ultra-Clear^® glass produces visible light transmittance (VLT) of 74 percent and a solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) of 0.41.

Northwestern Industries, Seattle, a Vitro Certified^® Network member was the glass fabricator. ENCLOS, Seattle, engineered, fabricated and erected the curtain wall.

Architects’ Newspaper’s Best of Design Awards is a unique project-based awards program that showcases great buildings, building elements, interiors, and installations. Entries compete in 45 categories and are judged according to criteria such as evidence of innovation, creative use of new technology, sustainability and design.

To learn more about Solarban^® 60 glass, Starphire Ultra-Clear^® glass and other high-performance Vitro Architectural Glass products, visit www.vitroglazings.com or call 1-855-VTRO-GLS (887-6457).

Solarban^®, Sungate^® and Starphire Ultra-Clear^® are registered trademarks owned by Vitro
Vitro Certified^® is a trademark owned by Vitro

About Vitro Architectural Glass

Vitro Architectural Glass, part of Vitro, S.A.B. de C.V. (BMV: VITROA), is the largest glass producer in the Western Hemisphere, manufacturing a range of industry-leading, energy-efficient, high-performance products such as Solarban^®, Sungate^® and Starphire Ultra-Clear^® glasses. Committed to continually raising the industry standard for sustainability, Vitro was the first U.S. glass manufacturer to have its complete collection of architectural glass products earn Cradle to Cradle Certified^® status and the first North American manufacturer to publish third-party verified Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for flat glass and processed glass products. Additionally, as of April 2024, all Vitro architectural glass products meet the Top 20% Low Embodied Carbon (LEC) material Global Warming Potential (GWP) threshold the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) established pursuant to the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 and related guidance from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Vitro operates seven glass production facilities across North America, four residential glass fabrication plants in Canada and one of the world’s largest glass research and development facilities in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. For more information, please visit VitroGlazings.com.

Media Contact:
Robert J. Struble
Vitro Architectural Glass
412-820-8138
rstruble@vitro.com
www.vitroglazings.com