PITTSBURGH, July 26, 2018 — Libraries are made for learning; treehouses are built for socializing and communion with nature. Recently, with the help of Solarban^® 90 glass, the new library at Tecnológico de Monterrey in Mexico united the charms of both dwellings to earn a prestigious award from the American Library Association (ALA) and International Interior Design Association (IIDA).

“We wanted it to feel like a treehouse in the middle of the campus forest,” said Pablo Savid-Buteler, LEED^® AP, the project’s main architect and a managing principal with Boston-based Sasaki Associates. That edict produced a multi-faceted, multi-story, glass-walled structure that soars into the school’s tree canopy while providing brilliantly unobstructed views of Monterrey and its majestic mountain backdrop.

Built on the site of the school’s original library, the new student center is inhabited by a bookstore, café and retail space on the ground floor and sprawling open terrace on the top floor with spectacular views of Cerro de le Silla (Saddle Hill) in the distance. Sandwiched between are four floors of study space, with an emphasis on technology and collaborative learning on the lower floors and quiet study and contemplation on the higher floors.

Huge floor-to-ceiling windows, fabricated with Solarban^® 90 solar control, low-emissivity (low-e) glass by Vitro Glass, facilitate activities within the library while functioning as a central beacon for the rest of the campus. The world’s first quad-silver-coated glass, Solarban^® 90 glass combines exceptional solar control performance with the neutral aesthetic of clear glass. Solarban^® 90 glass has a solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) of 0.23 with visible light transmittance (VLT) of 51 percent. Those two figures produce a light to solar gain (LSG) ratio of 2.22. The result is an optimized balance of solar performance and daylighting for the library – and a corresponding reduction in demand for artificial lighting and air conditioning, which consume more than 65 percent of the energy used in most commercial buildings.

The ALA/IIDI Library Interior Design Awards are given biennially to recognize achievement in interior design aesthetics, creativity and function. The main library at Tecnológico de Monterrey won a 2018 award in the category of interior design for an academic library.

With 31 campuses in 25 cities, Tecnológico de Monterrey is the largest university system in Mexico. It is ranked among the top five university systems in Latin American and among the top 200 universities in the world.

To learn more about Solarban^® 90 glass and Vitro Glass’s full line of CRADLE TO CRADLE CERTIFIED^™ architectural glasses, visit www.vitroglazings.com or call 1-855-VTRO-GLS (887-6457).

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