PITTSBURGH, November 9, 2016 — Vitro Architectural Glass (formerly PPG Glass) won an R&D 10 Award from R&D Magazine for the development of Solarban^® 90 glass, the first product to feature its proprietary "quad-silver" coating technology.

The award, regarded as the "Oscar for innovators," was presented to representatives of Vitro Glass at the 54th Annual R&D 100 Awards and Technology Conference on Nov. 3 in Washington, D.C.

Dennis O'Shaughnessy, research and development director, Vitro Glass, said that Solarban^® 90 glass incorporates a fourth "nano-layer" of silver with nanoparticles that product developers can manipulate to control its reflectivity, color and solar performance. "Quad-silver coating technology is a major technical advance that has implications beyond the debut of Solarban^® 90 glass, as it will enable us to generate new glass appearance and performance combinations that architects desire, and that other glass manufacturers cannot easily replicate," he explained.

Dick Beuke, vice president, U.S. and Canada, Vitro Glass, said the R&D 100 Award reinforces Vitro Glass's commitment to meeting the evolving demands of architects, glazing contractors and glass fabricators. "The core values driving our business are innovation and customer service," he said. "That is why we're investing $55 million in a new state-of-the-art magnetron sputtered vacuum deposition coater, as well as expanding our investment in the Vitro Glass Research and Technology Center."

Solarban^® 90 glass was created with input from architects to fulfill their requests for a clear, neutrally reflective architectural glass that delivers enhanced solar control. Combined with clear glass in a standard one-inch insulating glass unit (IGU), it has a solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) of 0.23, visible light transmittance (VLT) of 51 percent and a light-to-solar-gain (LSG) ratio of 2.22. Interior and exterior reflectance rates are 12 percent and 19 percent, respectively.

Solarban^® 90 glass also is available on Vitro Glass's complete array of performance-tinted glasses, including Atlantica^®, Azuria^®, Optiblue^®, Optigray^®, Pacifica^®, Solarblue^®, Solarbronze^®, Solargray^® and Solexia^® glasses, as well as Starphire Ultra-Clear^® glass.

The R&D 100 Awards recognize excellence across a wide range of industries, including telecommunications, optics, high-energy physics, materials science, chemistry and biotechnology.

To learn more about Solarban^® 90 glass and other Cradle to Cradle Certified^™ Vitro Glass products, visit www.vitroglazings.com or call 1-855-VTRO-GLS (887-6457).

Atlantica^®, Azuria^®, Optiblue^®, Optigray^®, Pacifica^®, Solarban^®, Solarblue^®, Solarbronze^®, Solargray^®, Solexia^® and Starphire Ultra-Clear^® are registered trademarks owned by Vitro.

Cradle to Cradle Certified^™ is a trademark licensed by the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute.

About Vitro Architectural Glass

Vitro Architectural Glass is the largest glass producer in the Western Hemisphere, manufacturing a range of industry-leading, energy-efficient, high-performance products such as Solarban^®, Sungate^® and Starphire Ultra-Clear^® glasses. Committed to continually raising the industry standard for sustainability, Vitro was the first U.S. glass manufacturer to have its complete collection of architectural glass products earn Cradle to Cradle Certified^® status and the first North American manufacturer to publish third-party verified Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for flat glass and processed glass products. Additionally, as of April 2024, all Vitro architectural glass products meet the Top 20% Low Embodied Carbon (LEC) material Global Warming Potential (GWP) threshold the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) established pursuant to the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 and related guidance from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Vitro operates seven glass production facilities across North America, four residential glass fabrication plants in Canada and one of the world’s largest glass research and development facilities in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. For more information, please visit VitroGlazings.com.

Media Contact:
Robert J. Struble
Vitro Architectural Glass
412-820-8138
rstruble@vitro.com
vitroglazings.com