For more than six decades, Vitro Architectural Glass has been advancing glass technology through research, product development and sustainable manufacturing practices at its Glass Technology Center near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The facility, recognized by Vitro as the largest glass research and development center in North America, employs more than 60 technicians, engineers and scientists focused on improving architectural glass performance, energy efficiency and sustainability.Originally established in 1958 under Pittsburgh Plate Glass (PPG), the center became part of Vitro when the company acquired PPG’s flat glass business in 2016. Since then, Vitro has continued investing in research, technology and U.S. manufacturing operations.
The University of Washington’s Life Sciences Building features Vitro’s high-performance Solarban® 72 Starphire® low-e, low-iron glass.
Brown & Brown Headquarters features Vitro’s Solarban® R100 Solarblue® glass, combining a sky-blue hue with excellent thermal performance.
The center has contributed to more than 1,100 patents, approximately half involving Magnetron Sputter Vacuum Deposition (MSVD) technology used to produce high-performance Solarban® solar control, low-e glass. Researchers continue to develop an average of 30 patentable inventions annually.
Among the center’s innovations are advanced low-e coatings designed to improve building energy efficiency and reduce solar heat gain. For example, the 17-layer coating used in Solarban® 70 glass is approximately 140 times thinner than a human hair.
Sustainability remains another major focus. Vitro operates four oxy-fuel glass melting furnaces that can reduce energy consumption by as much as 20% and greenhouse gas emissions by up to 50% compared with conventional melting processes.
“As building performance standards continue to evolve and sustainability expectations increase, our Research & Development team at our Glass Technology Center remains focused on developing the next generation of glazing solutions,” said Adam Polcyn, Vice President of Research and Development at Vitro Architectural Glass.
For more information, please visit VitroGlazings.com.
