classrooms can highly benefit. “Everybody in education understands that natural light helps the learning process,” he states. “That’s been well quantified and it’s been understood for decades. It’s just hard to do – but our ideal translucent does an absolutely great job. You can bring daylight deep into classroom spaces and get rid of the whole issue with blinds and everything like that.” Office spaces can similarly benefit, Dr. Milburn continues, as natural light also helps with productivity in adults. “Daylight just makes for a healthy and productive building,” he says. “Natural light is just one of those boxes you can check for a huge enhancement to your building.” Of course, one more particularly viable application for Solera® is car dealerships, as evidenced by Advanced Glazings’ recent work with Volvo Cars Canada, integrating Solera® glass in four locations across Canada, including Richmond, Brossard, Laval, and Halifax. Moving forward, they have plans to continue to deploy the product as a key component in their facilities, enhancing both their aesthetic appeal and their environmental performance. Joe Menchefski is a marketing and sales consultant with Advanced Glazings, as well as the host of the ‘Better Buildings for Humans’ podcast. He recalls how Volvo came to discover Advanced Glazings, and why he believes working with them makes so much sense: “They wanted the translucent look,” he says. “They wanted natural light in their car dealerships. I mean, car dealers figured this out a long time ago – a car in the showroom has to look the same way that it’s going to look in your driveway, or there are going to be issues. So they needed to have full spectrum natural light.” At the same time, Menchefski says, “every car dealer, certainly in North America, knows the pain of glare.” “They know the pain of having really, really bright spots, sometimes far too bright relative to the darker levels within the space,” he explains. “So they want light, but they know that it’s necessary to control it.” Prior to coming across Solera®, Volvo relied on conventional acid-etched glass, but they recognized “they had a really serious glare problem,” Menchefski says. After being introduced to Advanced Glazings through their architect, “they recognized that we could solve that problem, and we could create an environment that’s really inviting, that makes potential car buyers want to linger.” “When you get in there and it’s beautifully lit and the cars look wonderful and the atmosphere is soft and gentle – well, you have a tendency to hang around,” he says. “You have a tendency to listen to think more fondly of Volvo’s offering as a result of being in such an inviting atmosphere. That was very conscious on Volvo’s part. It goes beyond the light – they’ve done a lot of brilliant things in their design – but the lighting really contributes to creating an inviting, comfortable atmosphere that people want to be in.” By using Solera®, Dr. Milburn adds, Volvo is able to “really control the view” into their dealerships. “A normal all-glass building envelope would have an uncontrolled view,” he explains. “You would see everything. With Solera®, you get a controlled view. You don’t see the interior of the building; you just see that perfect view of the automobiles DECEMBER 2024
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