Custom skylight provides daylight, performance at Research Triangle Park headquarters

The basics: The Research Triangle Park Headquarters, Research Triangle Park, N.C., earned Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program, thanks in part to a prominent custom skylight. The majority of LEED points for the 17,000-square-foot building were awarded in the Indoor Environmental Quality category. These design and construction considerations included the use of natural ventilation and low-emitting materials, control for light and thermal comfort, and the incorporation of daylight and views in at least 90 percent of the building's occupied space. The building is one of 78 LEED-certified/registered projects in the Research Triangle region, according to a Linetec release.

The players: Architect, O'Brien/Atkins Associates, Research Triangle Park, N.C.; skylight installation contractor, Barnhill Contracting Co., Tarboro, N.C.; skylight manufacturer, Super Sky Products Inc., Mequon, Wis.; glass fabricator, Viracon Inc., Owatonna, Minn.; skylight finisher, Linetec, Wausau, Wis.

The glass and systems: A 27-foot-by-74-foot custom, triangular-shaped, total flush glazed, single slope skylight, finished with two-coat, bone white, 70 percent polyvinylidene fluoride coating. The skylight, with a glass area that spans 2,005 square feet, features clear, laminated, heat-strengthened lites, silk-screened with a white, 50 percent, standard line pattern.