Solarban 60 Starphire glass by Vitro Glass brightens new medical learning facility

Solarban® 60 Starphire® glass by Vitro Architectural Glass (formerly PPG Glass) is featured on the Tandy Education Center, a technologically advanced training facility for the University of Oklahoma (OU) – Tulsa and University of Tulsa (TU) School of Community Medicine.

Combining the industry’s most transparent low-iron glass with a high-performance solar control low-emissivity (low-e) coating, Solarban 60 Starphire glass’s “daylighting attribute” is integral to this light-filled two-story addition that connects directly to the OU-Tulsa Schusterman Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Tristar Glass, Oklahoma City, a member of the Vitro Certified™ Network, fabricated more than 3,000 square-feet of insulating glass units (IGUs) for the project. Dickman Glass; Muskogee, Oklahoma, was the glazing contractor.

The 16,000-square-foot building, designed by MASS Architects, Oklahoma City, highlights the latest innovations in medical simulation and a training-and-feedback method in which students practice in lifelike circumstances using models or virtual reality.

It is equipped with 10 mock exam rooms, two inpatient intensive care unit/emergency rooms, four interview consultation rooms, two debriefing rooms, a multipurpose training room and student lounges. The facility, a partnership between OU and TU, enables OU-Tulsa to keep first- and second-year medical students on campus to simulate care and test their patient interaction skills.

One of the industry’s most trusted solar control low-e glasses, Solarban 60 Starphire glass has visible light transmittance (VLT) of 74 percent and a solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) of 0.41 in a standard 1-inch IGU. The combination produces exceptional daylighting and reduced air-conditioning loads to help manage the facility’s overall energy costs.

To learn more about Solarban 60 glass, Starphire glass and other Vitro Architectural Glass products, visit www.vitroglazings.com.