University of Central Missouri
Technoform partners with Insulite Glass Company to specify our durable warm edge spacer.
Unique hybrid design delivers maximum performance for minimum energy costs
Multi-story exterior glazing at the University of Central Missouri’s new Student Recreation and Wellness Center makes a bold design statement – yet poses a serious challenge to the building’s energy efficiency. So when the project’s architect sought a spacer that provided unrivaled thermal efficiency, performance and aesthetic appeal, he insisted on a warm edge spacer from Technoform. Technoform's spacer met the architect’s stringent criteria for a high performance spacer by delivering maximum occupant comfort, the highest energy efficiency possible and major operational cost-savings to the Center.
The University of Central Missouri (formerly Central Missouri State University) is a four-year public institution located in Warrensburg, Missouri, about 50 miles southeast of Kansas City, Missouri. The University currently serves more than 11,000 undergraduate and graduate students. In 2008, University officials unveiled plans to construct a new 69,000 square-foot Student Recreation and Wellness Center on the east side of an existing complex of campus buildings. When it is completed in the spring of 2011, the two-story facility will include a fitness area, weight room, basketball courts, indoor track and a multipurpose area. The facility’s design is highlighted by multi-story walls of glass that dramatically unite indoor spaces with the natural environment outside. Given the large amount of glass used in this project, and the wide variations in temperature that occur throughout the year in Warrensburg, it was critical to specify the most thermally and structurally efficient window frames and glazing systems available. And that meant incorporating a high performance insulating glass (IG) spacer that delivers outstanding thermal performance, a high degree of structural rigidity, superior gas retention, condensation resistance and other key performance benefits.
The challenge
The project’s original architectural glass manufacturer was charged with providing 400 finished window units for the Center, and that company insisted on integrating a traditional stainless steel IG spacer into its finished window units. However, project architects at Kansas City, Missouri-based Gould Evans were not satisfied with the previously-specified stainless steel spacer. Gould Evans’ Associate Vice President Dan Zeller, AIA, had called on Technoform's spacer, with its hybrid polymer and structural stainless steel design, for several past projects. Zeller viewed the spacer as an essential component in the drive to maximize the holistic performance of the Center’s large glass walls.
“We’ve done everything we can to enhance the thermal and structural properties of the glass in this project. To do that, we needed to specify the highest performing glass and glass components available, and Technoform's spacer helped get us where we need to be,” Zeller said in recalling the decision to specify Technoform. “It’s a better performing spacer system than stainless steel, and it doesn’t transfer as much energy through a window system. This project incorporates a lot of glass, so the components we use to improve the edge performance of a window will make a real difference.”
Eventually, Insulite Glass Company, Inc. (“Insulite”) was retained to provide architectural glass for the Center. Based in Olathe, Kansas, Insulite is a recognized industry leader in automated architectural flat glass fabrication. Its fenestration products include insulating glass, tempered glass, heat strengthened glass, reflective glass, low-e glass, spandrel glass, laminated glass, firelite and tempered glass doors and entrance systems. Larry Vasholz, Insulite’s Director of Sales, had specified Technoform’s spacer in past Insulite products. As Technoform's Chris Mcaughey recalled, “Larry had worked with our company before and understood the benefits that our spacer offers. At the outset of this project, we ran a series of simulations that compared our spacer’s performance to that of competing products. This validated Insulite’s confidence in our company and our product. We also offered the expertise needed to help Insulite integrate our spacer into the finished designs, which Larry really appreciated.”
Dan Zeller, AIA, Assistant Vice President, Gould Evans
Technoform's spacer is a unique hybrid spacer system incorporating high-performance polymer and low conductivity stainless steel to provide minimal heat transfer, and maximum protection against gas leakage and moisture penetration. Thermally efficient building envelopes of today and tomorrow are critical to energy management, and Technoform's spacer’s drop-in solution meets or exceeds the toughest industry expectations in all climates.
With installation of window units well underway, Vasholz reflected on the holistic performance of Technoform's spacer, and the professional expertise of the team at Technoform. “The simulations that Technoform ran showed better warm edge performance compared to competing stainless steel products,” said Vasholz. “Technoform has really been a plus for us, especially since we haven’t had to do any specialized or expensive retooling for
it to work on our existing equipment.” “We’re very satisfied with this spacer and the people at Technoform,” he continued. “We’ve already called on them for help with additional projects, and I definitely would recommend Technoform to others.”