Energy-efficient building with Reflective Glass

The aesthetic appeal aside, the use of glass in renovating the four decade old structure  made it another towering example of energy-efficiency in  buildings.Renovation in Glass for The Court of Justice, Montbeliard Via Saint Gobain Glass India Flickr PhotostreamThe building dates back to 1970, when it was originally constructed.It comprised offices and two courtrooms and was owned by the Ministry of Justice and Civil Liberties. The renovation plan was initiated in the year 2005, with the chief architect being  Lhommé Nectoux Architects. Design was entrusted to Enebat and the Glass Transformers were Glassolutions Techniverre (Duttlenheim) and Alp’Verre.

The renovation of the building had a peculiar problem though: The brief was to change the front in order to make it an energy-efficient building while retaining the occupants inside. The solution was to make a double glass front. New glass windows were fixed on the inside of the front, thereby allowing the inmates to remain indoors. Then the former window glass was removed without any hassle.

Via Saint Gobain Glass India Flickr Photostream

The Saint-Gobain Glass products deployed across the building were SGG Cool-Lite, SGG Emalit and SGG Antelio Plus. For the new glass windows, the variant SGG Cool-Lite Xtreme 60/28 was used. It offers high levels of thermal insulation as well as solar protection. Its compliance with LEED standards makes it a recognized candidate that contributes to energy-efficiency in buildings. The decorative glass used in the building was SGG Emalit Lave, while SGG Antelio Argent was used as the front glass for windows.

The use of glass created some astounding results – lower costs, lower expenditure on heating & cooling and thermal comfort, effectively resulting in an energy-efficient building. Eventually, the solar factor which was the origin of the heat inside the building was divided by two and the light transmission remained the same.

The renovation took a good six years to complete, in 2011. For the total building surface of 5556 Sq.m, the total quantity of glass used was 2775 Sq.m with 1250 Sq.m of enameled glass, therefore contributing significantly to the energy-efficiency of the building.

With the Court of Justice, Saint-Gobain Glass solutions once again justifies the use of glass in creating sustainable architecture and  energy-efficient buildings!