PITTSBURGH, June 21, 2017 — When the architectural team at Guernsey, Oklahoma City, was tasked with designing BioSteel Centre, a world-class training facility for the NBA’s Toronto Raptors, they had to address several competing demands. In addition to providing high levels of privacy and security for players and staff, the goal was to maximize views of nearby Lake Ontario while meeting local bird-safety and energy-efficiency mandates established by the city of Toronto.

The solution was to glaze the 68,000-square-foot structure with with AviProTek^® bird-friendly glass by Walker Textures^® glass, acid-etched on tinted Optiblue^® glass. This configuration, which creates the soft blue glass exterior, was then fabricated into triple-pane insulating glass units (IGUs) with Solarban^® R100 solar control low-e glass. Optiblue^® and Solarban^® R100 glasses are both manufactured by Vitro Architectural Glass.

Acid-etching Walker Glass’s AviProTek^® 215 dot pattern on Optiblue^® glass enabled architects to create a bird-safe privacy glass, while the addition of clear Solarban^® R100 glass reduced heating and air-conditioning costs and provided unobstructed lake views.

AviProtek^® glass is available in multiple patterns developed by Walker Glass with input from bird researchers. When specified on the first (outdoor) surface of an IGU, the patterns help birds detect glass facades as barriers and thereby prevent them from colliding into buildings.

When united with Solarban^® R100 glass in a triple-pane IGU, Optiblue^® glass provides exterior reflectance of 20 percent, visible light transmittance (VLT) of 27 percent, a solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) of 0.21 and a winter nighttime u-value of 0.17. As a result of this customized glazing design, BioSteel Centre protects local wildlife and delivers an optimal balance of transparency, views and energy efficiency.

For more information about Solarban^® solar control low-e and performance-tinted glasses by Vitro Architectural Glass or AviProTek^® bird-friendly glass by Walker Glass, visit www.vitroglazings.com or walkerglass.com.

Optiblue^® is a trademark owned by Vitro.
Walker Textures and AviProTek^® are registered trademarks of Walker Glass Limited.

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