CLEARSHADE GLAZING OPTIMIZES PERFORMANCE, ENHANCES HISTORIC CHARACTER IN RETROFIT APPLICATION AT U PENN
“In replacing the original translucent textured and wired safety glass, Panelite solved all four major issues that needed to be addressed in the renovation of the Hutchinson Gymnasium (now the Tse Ping & Cheng Cheung Ling Sportscenter) at the University of Pennsylvania: natural light, visibility to the exterior, insulation and sun control while simulating the original historic appearance. If the original architect Charles Klauder had Panelite available to him in the 1920’s, we suspect he would have used it in the design of the original Hutchinson Gymnasium Building.”
James Pastine, Crawford Architects
Crawford Architects specified 1700sf of ClearShade honeycomb glazing units in a retrofit application at the Tse Ping & Cheng Cheung Ling Sports Center at Hutchinson Gymnasium, University of Pennsylvania. The Gymnasium is connected to the school’s historic Palestra, often called the Cathedral of College Basketball.
Both the Hutchinson Gym and the Palestra had original windows dating from the late 1920s – 1/4″ single pane, etched, wire pebble glass, which did not provide the energy-efficiency, daylighting and views required for a modern athletic facility. Crawford Architects sought to replace the original window glass with a retrofit solution that would meet those goals while maintaining the historic character of the buildings.
ClearShade’s cellular honeycomb structure has a neutral yet textured appearance that relates to the original glass, but that gives it a modern aesthetic while optimizing performance. It also provides directional transparency without the monolithic appearance of a typical clear insulating glass unit.
ClearShade was the only glazing solution that the university committee approved for both performance and aesthetics. The architects chose ClearShade insulating glass units with clear polymer honeycomb and Sungate 500 low-e coating (surface #2) to achieve their energy-efficiency, daylighting, visibility and aesthetic goals.
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