Solar-E Blue-Green works well for Wellness Center

This project is one of the earlier specified projects for this Blue-Green option," said Regional Sales and Marketing Manager Michael Johnson.

The two-story center is a community recreation and wellness facility owned by the City of Indianola and operated by the YMCA of Greater Des Moines. The ground floor includes community and family rooms, a gymnasium, fitness studio and racquetball court, while upstairs there is a further 18,759 square feet of fitness space including an eight-lane competition swimming pool.

The large expanse of glazing, which supplies natural light and panoramic views for users, is a key design feature. The Pilkington Solar-E™ product range combines low emissivity with good solar control, maintaining a comfortable environment for the building's users all year round.

The glass has been fabricated in an aluminum framed curtain wall system with horizontal sunshade louvers providing additional sunlight control. Glass fabrication was by Oldcastle Building Envelope, Warrenton, MO and the glazing contractor was Forman Ford Glass of Des Moines, IA.

"The architect, Thad Long of SVPA Architects, was looking for a vibrant blue-green, rich-looking glass, which would complement the innovative framing design," said Bob Syroka, of Syroka and Associates, representing Oldcastle Building Envelope.

"The glass offers a good U-Factor and Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) which has assisted with the heating and air-conditioning requirements in the building. Both the architect and the owner absolutely love it."