Next month, nine remodeled gates inside Terminal 1 at San Francisco International Airport will reopen, with another nine scheduled to reopen in March 2020. The $2.4 billion remodel of this terminal should be completed in 2023.
This 1.2-million-sf net-zero-energy space, designed by Gensler, will include 57,000 sf of dynamic glazing supplied by View, a 12-year-old company based in Milpitas, Calif., that currently has its product in six of the top 15 airports in the U.S.
For example, the Terminal A expansion at Charlotte (N.C.) Douglas Airport included 20,000 sf of dynamic glass, with gate walls that are 40-ft-tall by 50-ft-wide glass walls. “We can do large-format glass that’s critically important to airports,” says Brandon Tinianov, View’s Vice President of Industry Strategy.
Unlike thermochromic glass that responds directly to changes in sunlight and temperature, View’s glass uses nano-layers of electrochromic coating on its surface. When voltage is applied, the glass tints. View’s intelligent system allows the windows to respond to the surrounding environment automatically, to eliminate heat and glare. Tinting of windows in rooms can be controlled by zones.
Tinianov concedes that the upfront cost for View’s glass is a barrier to entry for some clients. That’s why View emphasizes longer-term operating cost benefits, which can be substantial when HVAC systems can be downsized. View claims that its dynamic glass reduces a building’s energy consumption and costs by 18% annually, and can block more than 90% of solar radiation, thereby reducing peak cooling loads by 23%.
Tinianov also points to DFW International Airport in Texas, where View participated in a pilot study to gauge the relationship between passenger experience and revenue. A restaurant near two gates that was underperforming saw its revenue increase, on a year-to-year basis, by 102% after View installed dynamic glass on its eastern façade, says Tinianov.
The waiting area at a gate at DFW International Airport in Texas, with and without tinted glass. Image: Courtesy of View
Since the company’s inception, View has installed its glass in 50 million sf of buildings. Airports represent about 20% of View’s project portfolio. Healthcare and multifamily account for 10% each. And offices represent 60%. “The big value is office towers with thousands of windows,” says Tinianov. This month, the city of San Francisco and the developer Related topped off 49 South Van Ness, a 430,000-sf office building designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill that features View’s smart glass.
“We believe that a core role of architecture is improving human performance and enriching the human experience while using as few resources–particularly energy–as possible. The dynamic glass in this building plays a huge part in achieving those goals.” says Mark Schwettmann, SOM’s Design Director.
During the design phase of San Francisco’s Terminal 1 remodel, the building team evaluated six different sustainability measures, and, according to Tinianov, the scenario that included dynamic glass performed the best.
View sees growth potential in promoting dynamic glass for sustainability, health/wellness, and security. Every View installation now includes a smart building platform that consists of power, network, and communication infrastructure. This will allow View to add apps that can help manage a building’s physical and digital security, air quality, and acoustic levels.
Last November View partnered with Microsoft to launch SmartProtect, a window-based security solution that automatically detects glass breakage. The app leverages Microsoft Azure IoT service, Azure Digital Twin.
Related Stories
75 Top Building Products | Nov 30, 2022
75 top building products for 2022
Each year, the Building Design+Construction editorial team evaluates the vast universe of new and updated products, materials, and systems for the U.S. building design and construction market. The best-of-the-best products make up our annual 75 Top Products report.
Building Materials | Nov 2, 2022
Design for Freedom: Ending slavery and child labor in the global building materials sector
Sharon Prince, Founder and CEO of Grace Farms and Design for Freedom, discusses DFF's report on slavery and enforced child labor in building products and materials.
Building Materials | Aug 3, 2022
Shawmut CEO Les Hiscoe on coping with a shaky supply chain in construction
BD+C's John Caulfield interviews Les Hiscoe, CEO of Shawmut Design and Construction, about how his firm keeps projects on schedule and budget in the face of shortages, delays, and price volatility.
Building Materials | Jun 20, 2022
Early-stage procurement: The next evolution of the construction supply chain
Austin Commercial’s Jason Earnhardt explains why supply chain issues for the construction industry are not going to go away and how developers and owners can get ahead of project roadblocks.
Sponsored | BD+C University Course | May 3, 2022
For glass openings, how big is too big?
Advances in glazing materials and glass building systems offer a seemingly unlimited horizon for not only glass performance, but also for the size and extent of these light, transparent forms. Both for enclosures and for indoor environments, novel products and assemblies allow for more glass and less opaque structure—often in places that previously limited their use.
Sponsored | Glass and Glazing | Oct 27, 2021
Treating Glass as a Canvas
In the world of fine art, a master painter begins with canvas selection. A linen canvas is nearly always selected over cotton because nothing delivers the artist’s authentic vision quite like linen. Similarly, with glass.
Sponsored | Glass and Glazing | Oct 27, 2021
True Clarity for Ambitious Design
Clear glass is extremely common and is popular for a variety of architectural design applications, including vision glass, spandrel glass, storefronts, entryways and other exterior uses. It is specified repeatedly due to its versatility and ability to serve as a substrate for solar control, low-emissivity (low-E) coatings. However, when specifying glass to achieve a desired aesthetic, design professionals know that clear glass isn’t completely clear.
Cladding and Facade Systems | Oct 26, 2021
14 projects recognized by DOE for high-performance building envelope design
The inaugural class of DOE’s Better Buildings Building Envelope Campaign includes a medical office building that uses hybrid vacuum-insulated glass and a net-zero concrete-and-timber community center.
Glass and Glazing | Oct 26, 2021
Façade design for cost, performance, and delivery [AIA course]
HOK Technical Principal David Frey outlines best practices for designing building envelopes that live up to the aesthetic vision of the project while being cost-effective, high-performing, and quick to install.
Fire-Rated Products | Oct 21, 2021
Safti First Fights Through Assertions Made By Plaintiffs Ely Holdings Limited And Greenlite Glass Systems That Safti First’s Fire Rated Floor System Infringed On Their Patent
In a summary judgement dated February 3, 2021, Chief Magistrate Joseph C. Spero of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California ruled that the patent infringement claims filed by Ely Holdings Limited (Ely) and Greenlite Glass Systems (Greenlite) against SAFTI FIRST, a USA fire rated glass and framing manufacturer, could not proceed to trial, finding that the SAFTI FIRST’s fire resistant floor does not violate Ely’s patent.