PITTSBURGH, April 11, 2024 – For 40 years, One PPG Place – a shimmering neo-gothic 635-foot tower with iconic spires designed by world-renowned architect Philip Johnson – has defined and shaped Pittsburgh's skyline, becoming an integral part of the city's identity.

The PPG Place complex comprises six office buildings across 5.5 acres in Downtown Pittsburgh, with One PPG Place being the centerpiece. The PPG Place complex has over 230 spires, the tallest being 25 feet tall. Johnson said the castle-like, neo-gothic design was inspired locally by the University of Pittsburgh’s Cathedral of Learning and H.H. Richardson’s Allegheny County Courthouse.

Nearly one million square feet of Solarban^® 550 clear reflective glass is featured at PPG Place. Solarban^® 550 glass, a predecessor to today’s environmentally advanced architectural glasses, was chosen because it reflects heat away from the building in the summer to lower air-conditioning costs and reflects heat inward in the winter to reduce heating costs.

Introduced by PPG Glass (now Vitro Architectural Glass) in 1964, Solarban^® glass was one of the first coated glasses engineered to reflect heat away from buildings to reduce air conditioning use. Since its inception, there have been numerous technological advances in Solarban^® glass performance, including the world’s first triple-silver, low emissivity (low-e) coating, Solarban^® 70, and Solarban^® 90 glass, the first-ever quad-silver low-e coating.

Now celebrating its 60th anniversary, Solarban^® glass is world-renowned for reducing energy consumption by lowering demand for artificial cooling and lighting while maintaining indoor temperatures and boosting occupant comfort. Solarban^® glass has become the most trusted and proven choice for architects and designers worldwide due to its optimal energy efficiency and transparency.

Today, PPG Place remains the global headquarters for PPG Industries and is home to several restaurants, the Wintergarden, and the PPG Place Plaza, which features an ice-skating rink.

For more information about Solarban^® glass and other Vitro Architectural Glass products, visit 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