Vitro Architectural Glass

Amazon Spheres

There’s no shortage of “Oh, my” moments when people first encounter The Spheres, the architectural crown jewel of Amazon’s $4 billion headquarters campus in downtown Seattle. The highly celebrated trio of conjoined glass domes comprising of five floors of meeting, relaxation and collaborative space complete with terraces, waterfall and river features, and a treehouse conference area—a project seven years in the making—is an architectural and aesthetic marvel that has transformed the area. Designed by architectural firm NBBJ to be a “hybrid environment that inspires productivity and collaboration,” the 65,000-square-foot triumvirate required more than 620 tons of steel supported by a concrete base to buttress the triangular double-laminated insulating glass units (IGUs), which were fabricated using four 5-millimeter lites of Starphire Ultra-Clear® glass with a Solarban® 60 solar control low-e coating facing the airspace by Vitro Architectural Glass. With its complexity and quirkiness, The Spheres went well beyond the normal bounds of architectural planning, employing a diverse combination of resources, from horticulturalists and arborists, to instructional engineers and façade consultants, to achieve Amazon’s vision. The design team studied the form and function of several sphere-like conservatories around the world, including the United Kingdom’s Kew Gardens, the Mitchell Park Conservatory in Milwaukee, and La Biosfera in Genoa, Italy. Eventually, three distinct buildings emerged, and their shape and geometry evolved over the course of the design process. The firm modeled more than two dozen glass products before selecting Solarban® 60 glass on Starphire Ultra-Clear® glass. “The primary performance criteria we were looking for was the ability of the glass to transmit a specific portion of the solar spectrum in order to facilitate photosynthesis, while still providing a nice architectural appearance and a clean, white- appearing light,” said Sadinsky.

Adidas HQ Expansion

700 Santana Row

PITTSBURGH, July 29, 2025 – 700 Santana Row, an innovative mixed-use development, brings a new dimension to San Jose’s acclaimed Santana Row district by offering a seamless blend of modern design, sustainability and vibrant public spaces. 700 Santana Row encompasses 28,000 square feet of retail space, 290,000 square feet of Class A office space and a 450,000-square-foot parking structure with 1,300 stalls. Its dynamic façade, made of Solarban® 70 glass by Vitro, and its LEED® Silver certification underscore its commitment to both aesthetic innovation and environmental responsibility. This year marks two decades of Solarban® 70 glass, the industry’s most trusted and widely specified triple-silver-coated low-e glass. With over 700 million square feet shipped since its debut, Solarban® 70 glass has become a benchmark in performance and design. In a standard one inch insulating glass unit (IGU), Solarban® 70 glass delivers a solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) of 0.27 and a visible light transmittance (VLT) of 64%. 700 Santana Row features a metal facade with flowing curves that reflect sunlight and a translucent curtain wall design that brings natural light into its eight stories. A breezeway connects the public plaza to the office lobby and parking garage for better accessibility and connectivity. At the center, the building includes a public plaza that serves as a space for community gatherings, events, and activities. 700 Santana Row showcases a range of environmentally sustainable features, including cool roofs, water-efficient landscaping, an eco-friendly irrigation system, and the use of recycled materials. This innovative development transforms its surroundings, elevating the district from a renowned shopping and entertainment hub into a dynamic, integrated space for living, working, and leisure.

7 Bryant Park

Set in New York’s bustling Garment District and overlooking one of the city’s most cherished green spaces, 7 Bryant Park melds curved glass, stainless steel spandrels and highly transparent 10-by-10-foot openings glazed with Solarban® 60 on Starphire Ultra-Clear® glass to create a statement befitting the neighborhood’s fashion-centered legacy. However, the project’s complex specifications and lofty sustainability goals created an opportunity for the Vitro Concierge Program™ to help the glass fabricator and curtain wall contractor complete the project on time, according to specifications and with optimal aesthetic quality. In collaboration with architects Yvonne Szeto and Henry Cobb of Pei Cobb Freed & Partners and curtain wall fabricator Benson Industries, Vitro Certified™ Fabricator J.E. Berkowitz (JEB) needed to find creative ways to support the project’s quest for the upper echelons of LEED® certification. While Szeto and Cobb specified Solarban® 60 on Starphire® glass to lower long-term energy use in 7 Bryant Park—which would contribute significantly to its eventual LEED certification at the Gold level—assistance from the Vitro Concierge Program™ would help reduce the project’s footprint in the form of shipping materials and transportation costs, all without compromising the quality of the curved glass panels fabricated for the extra-large openings.

20 MASS Ave

PITTSBURGH, May 2, 2024 – Completed in October 2023, 20 Mass, the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and F Street NW has transformed into Capitol Hill’s go-to destination thanks to Solarban® 72 Acuity® glass by Vitro Architectural Glass. Architectural firm Leo A. Daly specified Solarban® 72 Acuity® glass for 20 Mass’s new, sweeping glass curtainwall. Solarban® 72 Acuity® glass was an optimal choice for this redesign because it enables peak energy performance and maximizes daylighting and occupant comfort. Solarban® 72 glass is a triple-silver-coated solar control low-e glass designed specifically for application to Starphire Ultra-Clear® and Acuity® low-iron glass substrates by Vitro. In addition to its high visible light transmittance (VLT), Solarban® 72 glass delivers unprecedented clarity and solar control performance. Specially engineered for vision glazings, Acuity® glass is ideal for distinctive exterior applications such as atriums, skylights and spandrel glass. In a one-inch insulating glass unit (IGU), Solarban® 72 Acuity® glass provides a VLT of 67% and a solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) of 0.28. LEED® Gold and WELL Building Standard® certified, the revamped 20 Mass offers 183,000 square feet of office space, 13,800 square feet of retail, and a 14,500 square foot penthouse amenity space with views of the Capitol. It is also home to the luxury Royal Sonesta Washington, D.C. Capitol Hill hotel and offers direct access to world-renowned D.C. landmarks and attractions. NAIOP DC|MD recognized 20 Mass for Best Renovation at the association’s annual Awards of Excellence Gala in 2023, which honors outstanding achievements in commercial real estate. The Best Renovation category recognizes redevelopment projects throughout Washington, D.C., and surrounding Maryland counties.

1300 Fairmount Apartment Tower

Calgary Central Library

PITTSBURGH, October 29, 2020 – Calgary Central Library in Alberta, Canada opened as one of Architectural Digest’s most anticipated buildings of 2018. Since then, it has earned multiple awards for its beauty as well as its brains, thanks in large part to an extraordinary glass-and-metal façade featuring Solarban® 60, Solarban® 72 and Starphire Ultra-Clear® glasses by Vitro Architectural Glass. The library’s curved exterior surface is outfitted with a hexagonal pattern of alternating clear, glazed and ceramic-fritted glass and iridescent aluminum panels, which has led to the building being variously described as resembling an open book, snowflakes, snowdrifts or ice cracking on a lake. However, the design also has a functional purpose: to diffuse light inside the building while preserving views outside. The finished IGUs were then supplied to Ferguson Corporation, which fabricated 462 uniquely shaped unitized panels that were painted in three different colors for various interior and exterior surfaces and infilled with clear, glazed or fritted IGUs. The panels, which took eight months to fabricate, were placed randomly around the building to create a consistent aesthetic and to enable each side to function as its front. Since its opening, Calgary Central Library has earned numerous accolades for its design, including the 2020 AIA Architecture Award and the national 2019 AIA/ALA Library Building Award, granted by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the American Library Association (ALA). It also topped Popular Mechanics’ list of the world’s most stunning libraries earlier this year.

200 Fifth Avenue

Promedica HQ

Standing inside their new workplace, ProMedica employees might rightfully think that they’ve been transported to an earlier time. Although it boasts state-of-the-art office space amid a modern interior design, the building retains a 19th century aura, thanks to the preservation of several distinct features from its days as a steam plant. Red brick from the demolished wall was hand-scraped and salvaged for reuse. Other original interior brickwork was kept with exposed steel along the walls and ceiling. All steel roof trusses were preserved, while the brick façade underwent repair and a power wash. A 13-ton conveyor beam is suspended above the atrium. Original high ceilings were kept intact. Although two historic 215-foot-tall smokestacks had to be rebuilt, there was no mistaking that when ProMedica opened its headquarters in August 2017, the company was “honoring the old while bringing in the new,” according to Randy Oostra, president and CEO, ProMedica. In addition to the headquarters facility, the project included renovating an adjacent 102,000-square-foot building into additional office space and restaurants, and constructing a six-level parking garage, which was glazed with Solarban® R67 glass. ProMedica’s headquarters is already transforming downtown Toledo by connecting employees and the community to the riverfront and each other. “We’re really pleased — taking a building that had been vacant for 30 years and bringing it back to life,” said Oostra. “It’s done all the things we’ve hoped for.” With its ability to block 62 percent of total solar energy while allowing 70 percent of visible light to pass through, Solarban® 60 glass provides year-round comfort with heating and cooling cost savings.

Slate / Block 75

Center for Sustainable Landscapes, Phipps Conservatory

Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport

Marquette University - School of Business, Dr. E.J. and Margaret O'Brien Hall

Torre Akumal