Massachusetts Department of Transportation District 3 Administration Building

Nestled against a hillside in Worchester, Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation District 3 Administration Building is surrounded by trees and wildlife. Replacing an outdated structure, the building leaps ahead of its predecessor in design and performance by not only capitalizing on its scenic setting for the benefit of occupants: It also stands to become a showcase for net zero energy performance for large, non-education buildings on the East Coast.

High performance, low-E Guardian SunGuard® SNX 62/27 coating on UltraClear® low-iron glass and Guardian SunGuard® IS 20 coating on UltraClear® glass gives occupants beautiful, crystal clear views of the scenic area while helping to manage solar heat to keep them comfortable. The glass is an important contributor to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s goal to earn Zero Energy Certification with the International Living Future Institute.

Natural light and outdoor views are important to human wellness and employee performance. According to a University of Oregon study, 10% of employee absences can be attributed to architecture with no connection to nature. And a 2018 poll of North American employees revealed that access to natural light and views was the highest-ranked attribute of the workplace environment.

The right glazing will maximize those occupant needs: Low-iron glass delivers clear views, and when paired with high performance, low-E glazing, the glass allows valuable daylight to capitalize on the building’s shallow, long layout to penetrate deep into interiors. The glass makeup delivers this while keeping solar heat gain manageable, a benefit particularly important with the facility’s zero energy goal. The energy performance must serve 250 employees housed over 4 floors in the 75,000sf structure.

"HELENE·KARL Architects’ design team of Gregg Yanchenko, Mike Vianna and myself designed the building’s primary façade with a significant amount of glass," explains Fay Raynor, LEED AP BD&C CPHC, project architect. "It was important to deliver the beautiful view to occupants while capturing daylight that would help eliminate artificial light for much of day. However, when we reviewed the building site and determined that the façade was south facing, we knew that side of the building would experience some solar heat and glare."

HKA was determined that the glass would keep the desired aesthetic while achieving a low solar heat gain coefficient and high visible light transmission.

"When we considered the glazing, we knew we didn’t want to see a green or blue tint. We wanted occupants looking out to have a clear view while being protected from solar heat gain," Raynor says.

Past successes with Guardian Glass led Raynor back to the company’s architectural design team.

"Guardian Glass clearly explained what options would give us the performance numbers we needed with a high visible light transmission," Raynor relayed, sharing that the company went beyond simply recommending a product. "Our architectural design manager used Guardian Glass Analytics to run calculations on the assemblies and help me write the specification, and when we put together the triple glazed insulated glass unit, it resulted in a fantastic product."

The IGUs on the Massachusetts Department of Transportation District 3 Administration Building consists of Guardian SunGuard® SNX 62/27 coating on UltraClear® low-iron glass on the no. 2 surface, UltraClear® glass on the middle lite, and Guardian SunGuard® IS 20 coating on UltraClear® glass on the no. 6 surface. This makeup delivers a visible light transmission of 52% and a very low solar heat gain coefficient of 0.24.

"That glass makeup really fit the bill," Raynor says. "You know you’re an architecture geek when you get excited about your project’s glass. When I was at the site, I couldn’t wait to open the crates. When I put my hand on the IGU, I could feel how temperate it was. And the appearance is so clear."

Raynor said selection of the framing ensured the glass performance would be maximized in the zero-energy design. The glass was fabricated by independent Guardian Select® fabricator Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope® in the company’s Reliance™-HTC curtain wall system integrating the AD-375 Thermal Door System. It was installed by independent Glazier Connection™ Member A & A Window Products, Inc.

"Guardian ran CMAST estimates for us, which helped us identify the correct framing," says Ian J. Cable, vice president of Sales, A & A Window Products. "While the U-value targets pushed the limits of an aluminum system, the Guardian Glass low-E products were the key to reaching these goals."

This project illustrates the value of the technical services in today’s construction. Similar to Guardian and A & A Windows, Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope® performed technical project analysis utilizing its own proprietary tools to ensure the Reliance™-HTC curtain wall system would meet the glass performance requirements.

"Our team used GlasSelect™ and the TNFRC Calculator, which have since been replaced by Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope® SystemSelect™ to run models on a system’s thermal and visual performance," explains Suzanne Bauer, Sales Manager, OBE Wright City. "We worked with HELENE·KARL on several iterations of samples. The final make-up gave them the performance and aesthetics they required."

Raynor notes HELENE·KARL Architects approaches each project with the maximum energy efficiency in mind, as the firm has extensive experience navigating beautiful design with vigorous research to determine the design and construction that will maximize energy efficiency.

"HELENE·KARL Architects has a philosophy when designing for energy efficiency: Simpler is better," Raynor explains. "Efforts to control how the occupant uses the building to ensure the energy use the building is designed for can easily backfire."

"We were never under any delusion that we could tell Mass DOT how to use its building, and that’s what would actually happen," she continues. "People are still going to plug in their ceramic space heaters. We work to design buildings to work in the simplest way possible."

Despite complications from a global pandemic and working through regulatory obstacles, at the core of the project is a highly functional building that is the picture of how aesthetics and performance requirements can come together. And one of the ways projects like this can keep it simple is by understanding what glazing products will maximize energy performance.

"The glass on this project is a perfect fit," Raynor says. "HELENE·KARL Architects writes our specifications around Guardian Glass products. That’s our go-to."

Project Factfile

• Glass Supplier: Guardian Glass
• Architect: HELENE·KARL Architects, Inc., Groton, Mass.
  (Gregg Yanchenko, Mike Vianna, Fay Raynor)
• Glass Fabricator: Independent Guardian Select® fabricator Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope®, Wright City, Mo.
  (Suzanne Bauer, Aaron Spindler)
• Glazier: independent Glazier Connection™ Member A & A Window Products, Inc., Malden, Mass.
  (Ian J. Cable)
• Structural and Civil Engineer: SMMA, Boston, Mass.
  (Richard Croswell, Brett Wilkinson, Peter Glick)
• Mechanical, Plumbing and Fire Protection Engineering: Seaman Engineering, Corporation, Millbury, Mass.
  (Kevin Seaman, Chris Robinson)
• Electrical Engineering: John Murphy Jr. Electrical, Rockland, Mass.
  (John Murphy, Jr.)
• Photo credit: ©Casey McNamara Photography