High performance glazing from Vitro Architectural Glass is playing a central role in the transformation of Gund Hall, a concrete modernist building that has housed Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design since 1972.
By combining advanced vacuum insulating glass (VIG), solar control low-e coatings and close design assist collaboration, Vitro helped project partners improve comfort, energy performance and daylighting while preserving the hall’s distinctive architectural character.
Gund Hall historically struggled with air and water infiltration, excessive glare and poor thermal performance. As part of a comprehensive enclosure renewal, Bruner / Cott Architects, working with lighting designer Lam Partners and structural engineer Simpson Gumpertz & Heger, partnered with Vitro Architectural Glass, Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope, A&A Window Products and Shawmut to develop façade specific glazing strategies that addressed these long standing challenges without compromising the building’s visual identity.
A defining element of the renovation was the use of VacuMax (VIG) by Vitro on the north and south elevations. To meet stretch code requirements for the state of Massachusetts, which call for a 0.25 U value façade, the project team determined that the thickness of conventional triple glazing would alter the building’s original aesthetic. Instead, a hybrid VIG assembly was used that delivered exceptional thermal performance within a slim profile.