July 23, 2025
3 Invisible Technologies Transforming Glass
From enhancing safety and security for both people and birds to controlling solar heat gain for occupant comfort and reducing energy consumption, glass coatings offer significant benefits yet rarely receive the recognition they deserve. Read on to discover some of these invisible workhorses that warrant a closer look for your next project.
Solarban 72 Starphire
Vitro
With a reputation for high solar-control performance, Solarban was an easy choice for the LEED Platinum Rockwell Integrated Sciences Center at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania. The project’s designer, Payette, specified Solarban 72 Starphire, which maximizes daylighting—transmitting 67 percent of visible light—while minimizing solar heat gain with a coefficient of 0.28.
Guardian Bird1st UV
Guardian Glass
Across the U.S., more than a billion birds crash into glass each year—whether on houses, skyscrapers, or bus shelters. Fortunately, some glass manufacturers offer patterned solutions that significantly reduce the number of these collisions. Among them, Guardian Bird1st UV features a UV coating with a striped pattern that’s nearly undetectable to the human eye but visible to our avian friends, ensuring safety without compromising design. Guardian now offers the product in jumbo sizes of up to 130 by 204 inches.
RealTone
SageGlass
Self-tinting dynamic glass is a cutting-edge technology, but it’s often accompanied by a blue hue that can diminish the visual appeal of interior spaces, building exteriors, and views of the outdoors. In response, SageGlass developed a game-changing solution: Its newly launched RealTone is currently the most neutral electrochromic glass on the market. Providing truer-to-life views and rendering interior colors more accurately, it delivers excellent glare control while seamlessly shifting between four tint states.
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