An Architect’s Perspective on SoleraWall: “We’re going to keep using them again and again.”

With more than 40 years experience as an architect, Dale Archibald of Archibald & Fraser Architects Ltd in Nova Scotia, Canada, has an accomplished roster of projects under his belt. Long time client Protocase Ltd., a high tech manufacturing firm, approached him with a project that would nearly double the size of one of their production buildings. Protocase also wanted to improve workspace quality for employees, and daylight was a key element in their thinking. But this was a manufacturing building, so budget was a consideration. Archibald saw that he could achieve these goals by incorporating Advanced Glazing Ltd’s proprietary SoleraWall® panels into Protocase’s expansion

“We’ve been using Solera® for over a decade in schools, libraries and more, so I had big expectations for SoleraWall,” shares Archibald. “I was very impressed. It was the first time SoleraWall® has been used and the panels integrated seamlessly with the metal sandwich panels on the lower half of the building. This made the installation process straight forward and efficient.”

SoleraWall® is a self-supporting, insulated glass daylighting system that offers beautiful diffused light, controls heat transfer and glare and provides up to R18 insulation values. SoleraWall® panels are installed directly onto the primary structure of a building and don’t require secondary support, resulting in lower installation costs and faster build times. For this project, a total of 150 - 8’x3’ SoleraWall® panels were used.

“You get a wall panel that is translucent, diffuses the light and offers R18 value, which is three to four times more efficient than double or triple grade windows,” says Archibald. “The team at Advanced Glazings Ltd. are really inventive. They provided unique solutions, like custom made glass corners, to ensure we had a continuous transition around the building. The end product is really slick. From the exterior, you have a clean visual and when you walk inside, the purity of the light offers a calming work environment that needs very little artificial light. We’re going to keep using them again and again.” And on top of all that, SoleraWall® is less expensive than conventional curtainwall, so the client was thrilled.”

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