Image credit: McFarland-Johnson
Flying down to Key West Florida for a spring trip is in many peoples’ dreams after dealing with the dreary winter weather up north.
You look forward to enjoying warm, tropical breezes, refreshing beverages, and especially the sunny skies. You imagine circling the turquoise waters, lush green golf course, and beautiful harbor with beckoning charter fishing and diving boats. Touching down on the runway, your mind spins about all the fun possibilities.
As you step out of your plane and seek out the baggage claim, the sun is close to setting. The view you’ve been imagining becomes true with pastel blue skies, green landscapes, and orange clouds.
Preventing Glare with Electrochromic Glass
As the architects, interiors, and lighting designers for the new Concourse A and Terminal Improvements Program for Key West International Airport, such is the experience we sought in our design. Recognizing the need for open views to those beautiful scenes, we incorporated large glass panels on the north, east and west sides of the new concourse. However, west and east facing glass creates challenges to control the heat and especially the glare of the setting and rising sun.
Placing louvered fins, drapes, or blinds over the glass would block those initial cherished island views. So instead we incorporated the more technologically intelligent system of electrochromic (EC) glass.
Using a very small variable electric charge, EC glass can respond to the sunlight, darkening and lightening as the daylight changes. Also controlling both the heat and glare from the sunlight, it keeps the views available, and maintains a comfortable environment to relax in. Seeking out which baggage claim is yours on the airport’s information video screen is also much more enjoyable without all the glare.
Once a cutting-edge technology, EC glass’ mainstream use and availability from now multiple manufacturers has brought decreased cost and increased reliability.
So now your dream trip is enjoyable with sunny skies in all directions!
