PITTSBURGH, Dec. 5, 2019 – Solarban^® 60 and Solarban^® 60 Optigray^® glass provide the right combination of energy and aesthetic performance for 3Eleven, a modern living space for Chicago’s millennials.

Designed by FitzGerald Architects, 3Eleven is a 25-story, 281-foot contemporary residential tower, offering tenants an opportunity to “live louder, brighter and more colorfully.” With 245 luxury apartments, retail space, and parking for cars and bicycles alike, the tower was built with active city life in mind.

Tracking the building for LEED^® Certification, the architect factored the environmental performance of Solarban^® 60 glass into the energy budget calculations to optimize energy performance credits. Despite its clear appearance, Solarban^® 60 glass blocks 62 percent of total solar energy while allowing 70 percent of visible light to pass through—an ideal mix of energy savings and visibility.

While Solarban^® 60 glass was specified as the tower’s floor-to-ceiling vision glass, laminated Solarban^® 60 Optigray^® glass, which is a light-bodied gray tint, was used on lower floors for noise insulation and to provide visual privacy from the train tracks that run next to the building. Both products also were frosted or combined with ceramic frit for select applications.

“Vitro coated glass was specified as basis-of-design for meeting all aspects of the project criteria including aesthetics, energy code performance, and cost budget,” said Timothy Blatner, principal and technical director for FitzGerald. “Ultimately, both products were approved by the glazing contractor to meet performance specifications and to realize the design intent of the architect and to fulfill the vision of the developer.”

All apartments include floor-to-ceiling windows and custom solar shades, along with a host of smart technologies to augment the “forward-living” aspects of the design.

Solarban^® 60 glass is designed to provide year-round comfort with heating and cooling cost savings. Optigray^® glass is part of the Vitro Glass collection of performance-tinted architectural glasses.

To learn more about Solarban^® 60 and Optigray^® glasses and the full range of aesthetic and performance options available from Vitro Glass, visit www.vitroglazings.com or call 1-855-VTRO-GLS.

Editor’s note: High-resolution photography is available upon request.

Solarban^® and Optigray^® are registered trademarks owned by Vitro.
LEED^®—an acronym for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design™—is a registered trademark of the U.S. Green Building Council^®.

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