Designer readers are architects, builders, interior designers and design engineers whose primary focus is on the house of worship market.The editors made their selection based on the products “direct application and innovation to AEC’s faith-based space projects and specification needs.”SageGlass Unplugged stood out in this category because it is solar-powered, wireless, electronically tintable window glass that uses light sensors to tint automatically in response to changing sun conditions.Available in various tints, colors and shapes, windows communicate with each other using low-power mesh networking technology, enabling multiple panes to be controlled through a single interface.
SageGlass Unplugged is an ideal dynamic glass solution for houses of worship because its ease of installation and automatic operation works well in hard-to-reach building applications like clerestory windows or skylights.
For example, Immanuel Bible Church in Springfield, Virginia installed SageGlass to enable state-of-the-art daylighting control as part of a multi-year, multi-million-dollar building expansion. It provides a simple, maintenance-free way to naturally illuminate and shade the interior of the project’s centerpiece: a 58-foot-high (17.68 meters), 7,800-square-foot (2,377 square meters) multi-use atrium used as a gathering space, theatre and conference hall, as well as a video-fed overflow venue for worship services. SageGlass is installed in the atrium’s upper story with six rows of clerestory windows.
More and more houses of worship are being built with sustainability as a key design goal. We are honored that SageGlass was recognized for its “green” glazing innovation, and we expect to see more in this growing market segment.