PPG
Industries (NYSE:PPG) offers architects a single, comprehensive resource for
designing sustainable building envelopes through advanced architectural glasses
and metal roof coatings.
At PNC FirstSide in Pittsburgh, a soaring atrium, skylights and light wells combine to flood more than 90 percent of the structurefs 650,000 sqaure feet with natural light. Sungate 500 low]e glass and panels, skylights and louvers coated with Duranar and Polycron coatings from PPG also contribute to the buildingfs LEED silver status.
An independent study has shown that architects and building owners can
realize annual energy savings of more than $60,000 for a prototypical
glass-walled, eight-story office building when substituting PPG's Solarban 70XL
solar control, low-e glass in place of dual-pane tinted glass. The same study
showed equipment costs for heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) may
be reduced by up to $400,000. Beyond these cost savings, related carbon
emissions from the building were cut by 400 to 500 tons per year, the annual
output of about 75 passenger cars.
Energy and environmental savings have the potential to escalate when
architects also specify Duranar ULTRA-Cool metal roof coatings for their
projects. These products feature an advanced metal coating that reflects the
sun's heat energy, keeping buildings cooler and dramatically reducing the
heat-island effect associated with conventional roofing materials.
PPG advanced glasses and coatings share the ability to deflect solar heat
through the use of proprietary coating technologies. Solarban 70XL glass
incorporates the industry's first triple-silver coating, enabling it to reflect
more than 73 percent of the sun's heat energy in a standard one-inch insulating
glass unit. The same coating also transmits almost 65 percent of the sun's
visible light, which minimizes reliance on artificial lighting. These combined
performance attributes are unmatched by any commerically available architectural
glass.
The performance of Duranar ULTRA-Cool metal roof coatings is equally
impressive, due to its ability to reflect infrared energy. In the United States,
"solar reflectance" (SRV) is the most recognized measure for the "coolness" of a
roof. A steep-sloped roof (defined as a roof with a pitch of greater than 2:12)
is generally considered "cool" if maintains an SRV greater than or equal to 25
percent. A low-sloped roof achieves the same distinction if its SRV is greater
than or equal to 65 percent.
Even with dark evergreen, slate gray or terra cotta red colors, Duranar
ULTRA-Cool coatings achieve SRV ratings of 28.49, 39.96 and 30.92, respectively.
Regal white, light stone and other lighter-toned coatings achieve SRV ratings 55
and 75.
These ratings show that the overwhelming majority of Duranar ULTRA-Cool
coatings colors meet the minimum SRV values for steep-slope applications, while
many light or white colors achieve the same criteria for low-slope roofs. Even
more impressively, Duranar ULTRA-Cool coatings lose less than that 5 percent of
their original reflectivity over a 30-year lifetime. As a result, they have
numerous colors registered with the Cool Roof Rating Council (CRRC) and Energy
Star, greatly expanding the design palette available to contemporary architects.
Performance and aesthetic versatility also are the hallmarks of PPG
architectural glass. A broad range of ocean-, earth- and sky-inspired tints can
be combined with Solarban 70XL and Solarban 60 solar control, low-e glasses to
save energy and meet the appearance demands of virtually any building project.
PPG also combines performance and color in tinted solar control, low-e
glasses such as Solarban z50 glass and Solarban 80 Optiblue glass. The richness
of these tints can be further enhanced with the mirror-like reflectivity of
Solarcool coatings or the subtle reflectivity of Vistacool coatings.
PPG glass and coatings have been selected to work in tandem on dozens of
architecural landmarks throughout the United States, from football stadiums and
convention centers to office buildings, schools and airports.