Your backstage pass
Introducing View Intelligence 2.0
As part of our ongoing efforts to create a more intelligent window, we’re excited to announce a major update to View Intelligence. Driven by our predictive intelligence engine, View Intelligence automatically responds to outdoor conditions, people’s preferences and building layout to optimize the indoor climate and the outside view, creating more comfortable, productive and energy-efficient […]
Erich Klawuhn – Vice President, Product Management
Introducing View Intelligence 2.0
As part of our ongoing efforts to create a more intelligent window, we’re excited to announce a major update to View Intelligence. Driven by our predictive intelligence engine, View Intelligence automatically responds to outdoor conditions, people’s preferences, and building layout to optimize the indoor climate and the outside view, creating more comfortable, productive, and energy-efficient interiors that help people thrive.
View Intelligence is entering its next generation and now integrates with third-party data providers for the first time – making for a connected predictive intelligence that not only responds to the direct environment around a building but also now takes into account factors beyond the immediate vicinity.
In its previous iteration, View Dynamic Glass with predictive intelligence was able to predict the sun’s movement and automatically adjust each window’s tint to anticipate the sun’s energy. In this second phase, View Dynamic Glass with the connected predictive abilities of View Intelligence 2.0 integrates outside data streams to inform the system in powerful new ways.
Today we are unveiling the first implementation: We are integrating advanced weather inputs into our tinting algorithm to predict not only the sun’s movement but also incoming weather conditions that are still over the horizon.
The goal of any intelligent system is to make it so fluid and natural in its behavior that eventually the people that it helps trust it implicitly and even forget that it is there – because it always does the right thing. This update marks a huge step toward ultimately realizing that vision for View Dynamic Glass.
Connected Predictive Intelligence
Adjusting the glass’ tint to accurately reflect the weather is a complex issue that we’ve been working to address since View’s inception. Up until now, we’ve relied on knowledge of the sun’s patterns combined with rooftop sensors to provide a real-time measurement of light levels, which in turn inform the behavior of View Dynamic Glass.
To take that one step further, we wanted to not only know what the cloud cover and weather was like in the moment, but also how it would evolve in the coming hours. With connected predictive intelligence, we have keyed in to information that will lead to a more seamless experience and ensure the glass is not overly responsive to the comings and goings of a few clouds, oscillating in undesirable ways.
To gain greater control over cloud cover, we tapped into the forecast.io API, which provides accurate short-term and long-term weather predictions. View Dynamic Glass is now able to query this weather pattern data and apply it to its enhanced algorithm to make more intelligent tinting decisions and further enhance the occupant experience.
To see how View Intelligence helps organizations reap the benefits of natural sunlight without the heat and glare drawbacks that typically accompany it, we have created the following motion-graphic video. It shows how our intelligence accounts for numerous factors outside and inside the building to preserve the connection to the outdoors.
View Predictive Intelligence
Included in the comprehensive package of View Intelligence 2.0 are our mobile apps that allow users to control View Dynamic Glass from anywhere, as well as create schedules, track energy efficiency and manage entire buildings from their iOS or Android devices.
Connected Predictive Intelligence In Action
Every building with View Dynamic Glass has built-in intelligence at the glass level, which means individual windows, zones or entire facades of buildings can be grouped as needed based upon building usage and then automatically controlled. This update optimizes tint levels through the new capability to determine in advance when and for how long scattered clouds, broken cloud cover or completely overcast skies will obstruct the sun and reduce the building’s solar load. Armed with this information, the glass can begin to adjust ahead of weather changes and optimize lighting inside for comfort and wellness.
For instance, previously the east façade of a building with View Dynamic Glass would automatically increase its tint level in anticipation of the sunrise to protect against the glare it would bring to that side of the building. Now, it is able to determine an hour before sunrise that it will be cloudy that morning and make the windows transparent, maximizing the amount of natural light for the people within.
What’s Next
View is the only company in the glass and façade industries with these connected predictive intelligence capabilities, and we’re excited to bring it to new and existing customers throughout North America. In addition to adding this capability to new projects, we will be pushing this update out to our current customers using View Intelligence so that their occupants can benefit from the reduced glare, improved heat control and enhanced energy efficiency of a more optimized View Dynamic Glass.
We look forward to pursuing additional integrations that can make our technology more connected, predictive and intelligent.
Colorado State University Gets Smart Windows
Colorado State University’s campus just got smarter with a nearly 3,000-square-foot installation of View Dynamic Glass at its newly renovated Lory Student Center. Located in a picturesque alpine setting in Fort Collins, Colorado, CSU built the Lory Student Center in 1962. With more than 20,000 students passing through it daily, the 160,000-square-feet Lory Student Center […]
Brett Murray - Vice President, Marketing
Introducing View Intelligence 2.0
Colorado State University’s campus just got smarter with a nearly 3,000-square-foot installation of View Smart Windows at its newly renovated Lory Student Center.
Located in a picturesque alpine setting in Fort Collins, Colorado, CSU built the Lory Student Center in 1962. With more than 20,000 students passing through it daily, the 160,000-square-feet Lory Student Center forms the campus hub, but more than five decades later its infrastructure and aging HVAC were in need of an update.
University officials greenlit a $65 million renovation project and charged architecture firm Perkins + Will to add an additional 40,000 square feet and design a flexible, multi-purpose building that maintained a connection to outdoor space.
With more than 10 solar arrays powering its campus, CSU makes a conscientious effort to invest in technology that improves campus life and sustainability. The decision to outfit the Lory Student Center with View Smart Windows is the latest example of that commitment.
View Smart Windows are particularly suitable for Northern Colorado, one of the sunniest places in the country. View’s predictive intelligence technology tracks the movement of the sun and tint the windows in response, helping CSU moderate the solar load coming into the Center’s ballroom. View Smart Windows also eliminate the need for curtains, enabling students and other occupants to enjoy unobstructed views of the Rocky Mountains.
Check out a video showcasing the new and improved Lory Student Center with View Smart Windows.
CSU also benefits from greater versatility with intelligent glass. With moveable walls, CSU can accommodate up to four programmatic events simultaneously in its ballroom, and adjust the tint of the glass to suit their needs. With no glare or thermal discomfort, every presentation goes smoothly. In fact, because of View Smart Windows, CSU has been able to charge a premium for this space.
CSU’s assistant director of event services had a great experience installing dynamic glass: “I can’t say enough about the operations team. They did a great job helping us design and understand the system. I would definitely recommend View Smart Windows for future projects.”
CSU sets the standard when it comes to campus sustainability efforts (it even has its own composter). It recently became the first and only university in the world to achieve a Platinum STARS rating, the sustainability assessment for colleges and universities. The renovated Lory Student Center continues the university’s tradition of sustainability, and we’re proud to be a part of it.
Find out more about this project here.
#BuildGreenChat on Earth Day
Together with AIA COTE, we’re opening the discussion around sustainable innovation, ecological architecture and opportunities to go green in how we build and live with a Twitter chat this Earth Day. Join @AIA_COTE and @viewglass for the #BuildGreenChat to share your questions, insights and excitement for a green future! When: 2 – 3 p.m. EDT […]
Brett Murray - Vice President, Marketing
#BuildGreenChat on Earth Day
Together with AIA COTE, we’re opening the discussion around sustainable innovation, ecological architecture and opportunities to go green in how we build and live with a Twitter chat this Earth Day. Join @AIA_COTE and @viewglass for the #BuildGreenChat to share your questions, insights and excitement for a green future!
When: 2 – 3 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, April 22Where: On Twitter via @AIA_COTE. Follow the hashtag #BuildGreenChat to join us!
During the live chat, @viewglass will ask 10 questions and @AIA_COTE will tweet their answers. But we want to hear from you, too! Share your questions before or during the chat, and follow the hashtag #BuildGreenChat for answers!
Worlds largest electrochromic glass installation opens in Monroe, Louisiana
Congratulations are in order for our friends at CenturyLink, who celebrated the grand opening of their Technology Center of Excellence in Monroe, Louisiana this past week. The ribbon-cutting ceremony not only ushered in a new era of innovation for the telecommunications giant, but also marked the completion of the world’s largest electrochromic glass installation to […]
Jeff Platón - VP, Marketing
Worlds largest electrochromic glass installation opens in Monroe, Louisiana
Congratulations are in order for our friends at CenturyLink, who celebrated the grand opening of their Technology Center of Excellence in Monroe, Louisiana this past week. The ribbon-cutting ceremony not only ushered in a new era of innovation for the telecommunications giant, but also marked the completion of the world’s largest electrochromic glass installation to date.
With a record-breaking 37,000 square feet of View Dynamic Glass installed at this new research center, we feel that we’re at a tipping point for electrochromic glass to gain mainstream traction and enter the public consciousness. The magnitude of this installation underscores the readiness of this technology for prime time. We’re partnering with owners, architects and general contractors to bring View Dynamic Glass to virtually any type of project, from corporate headquarters and schools/colleges to hospitals and hotels.
CenturyLink designed its new three-story, 250,000-square-foot facility, with the goal of encouraging employees to develop the next generation of innovative telecommunications products and services for its customers. By providing unobstructed views to the outdoors and allowing natural daylight to permeate the space, View Dynamic Glass fosters an ideal environment for these trailblazing ideas and creations to take shape. With scorching summers and warm temperatures year-round, Monroe is no stranger to sunlight, which posed a significant thermal load challenge. Dynamic glass reduced the loads significantly, creating a comfortable and productive environment.
We like how Dan Picket, principal architect at Moody Nolan, the firm that lead planning, development and design of the project, described our contributions to this collaborative effort. “Dynamically adjusting window glass has been known to be the game-changer in building design, but remained the ‘technology of the future’ for a long time. We are pleased that View has executed on their product and operations to make this remarkable product the ‘technology of the present.’”
This was one of the most rewarding projects our team has had the pleasure of working on, and knowing we helped create a comfortable and creative work environment is something we’re enormously proud of.
If you want to learn more about this project, check out our case study.
View Smart Windows - Project Highlights
To celebrate the tireless work of our team and our fast-growing portfolio, we want to highlight a couple of recently completed projects and survey the impact of View Smart Windows in the wild. The Hilton Universal City Thousands of tourists and international visitors descend on The Hilton Universal City every year to visit Universal Studios […]
Brett Murray - Vice President, Marketing
View Smart Windows - Project Highlights
To celebrate the tireless work of our team and our fast-growing portfolio, we want to highlight a couple of recently completed projects and survey the impact of View Smart Windows in the wild.
The Hilton Universal City
Thousands of tourists and international visitors descend on The Hilton Universal City every year to visit Universal Studios Hollywood, located just a block from the hotel, and explore all that has Los Angeles has to offer.
With temperatures regularly exceeding 100 degrees in the summertime, hotel management was experiencing a first impression problem — as guests entered the hotel, they were hit with uncomfortable heat and glare coming through the main lobby windows.
To alleviate this tremendous thermal load, View Smart Windows were included as part of the hotel’s $7 million energy retrofit project — the largest commercial project in the U.S. funded by Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE). PACE offers commercial property owners a new financing method for energy efficiency upgrades and water conservation measures.
“What we were trying to do with the Hilton was reduce their energy usage, increase guest comfort and then — because it’s still a Hilton — have some wow factor,” explained Michael Page, project developer at LA County Commercial PACE. “View Smart Windows were one of those solutions that actually met all three.”
View Smart Windows replaced the lobby windows, providing a solution without disrupting the hotel operations. Thanks to the eliminations of the thermal load in the lobby and other building improvements, the hotel reports it has reduced energy operating costs by a remarkable $27,000–$30,000 each month.
The hotel now not only enjoys a vastly improved guest experience, but also a better experience for staff as well. Mark Davis, the hotel general manager, noted, “We used to dread working during hot weekends with the A/C not working…outside at the entrance is over 100 degrees but our lobby area is nice and cool with no glare.”
Olive Branch Methodist Hospital
Methodist Healthcare, a not-for-profit healthcare system, recently constructed a five-story hospital in the booming northern Mississippi town of Olive Branch, which Bloomberg reported was the fastest growing city in the U.S. from 1990–2010.
The signature architectural component of the hospital is a striking south- and west-facing glass atrium that spans the full height of the building. During the design phase, the hospital weighed a number of options for the space, including accepting the heat gain or implementing a motorized shading system that would obstruct views. View’s solution allowed the hospital to block heat and glare, but not views.
More than 2,100 square feet of 9-foot-tall View Smart Windows didn’t have to travel far since View’s manufacturing facility is situated in Olive Branch. The atrium is now able to foster a controlled, comfortable environment for patients. Methodist Olive Branch Hospital CEO David Baytos observed that natural light plays a huge role for interactions between patients and their families and the hospital’s staff and physicians.
The installation also contributed to the hospital’s mission to build an environmentally friendly facility by reducing HVAC capacity by 35 percent. With annual savings of $2,000 in energy costs and an immediate $22,000 in savings, the hospital will be able to pay back its smart windows investment in just five years. View Smart Windows also played an instrumental role in helping the hospital achieve LEED HC Gold certification.
“Historically, one thing that architects have struggled with is how to control the sun,” said David Zegley, architect at Gresham, Smith & Partners, the firm responsible for the hospital’s architecture. “View Smart Windows now give us the opportunity to control that automatically so we can enjoy what nature has given us.”