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3M-authorized Dealer Applicator:
David Lundquist, president and owner;
Louis P. Miller, founder of Climate Insulating
Products, Inc.
Installation Date:
March through October 2004
Area Covered:
83,000 square feet
(3,083 windows)
Installation Time:
Eight months, with most of the
work completed at night
Film Type:
3M Night Vision 25 on the south,
east and west sides of the buildings
Remedies Considered
Prior to Window Film:
Heavy lined draperies
Project Notes:
According to Brett Terry, a project
manager at Climate Insulating Products, the company had to work around established
tenants and extensive built-in furnishings, so most of the installation work was done at
night.
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While Embarcadero
Center’s five office towers gave tenants breathtaking panoramas of the
city, tenants on the south, east and west sides of the buildings often needed
to close heavy draperies over their vast windows to block the intense heat gain
and glare when the sun was beating down during the day.
“Many of our tenants chose the Embarcadero
Center office towers because of the view space,” says Danny Murtagh, director
of engineering for Boston Properties, which owns and manages the Embarcadero
Center complex. “So naturally, they were not entirely satisfied when they
had to cover their windows to stay comfortable on bright, sunny days.”
In addition, maintaining a comfortable temperature throughout the five buildings
during California’s
sunny days was an ongoing—and expensive—challenge.After several years of investigating various options and potential solutions
to reduce heat gain and reflectivity, improve tenant comfort and cut down on
energy use, Embarcadero
Center property managers eventually zeroed in on window film.
“We watched window film technology evolve over the years, to the point
where we felt we were ready to bring it to our five Embarcadero office towers,” Murtagh
says. “Our original goals for a window film installation centered on tenant
comfort and energy savings. But, during our investigation, we realized there
was another substantial benefit we hadn’t initially considered—a
significant reduction in ultraviolet rays. This had the potential to also improve
the health and safety of our tenants and reduce wear and tear on their furnishings.
We quickly realized that installing window film would be a win-win for everyone.”
The company interviewed several window film manufacturers and dealers, and extensively
reviewed their technicalcapabilities. Ultimately, Murtagh says, they chose Climate
Insulating Products, Inc., a 3M authorized dealer, citing 3M’s Night Vision
window film product line, as well as the company’s worldwide name recognition
and product warranties.
According to David Lundquist, president of Climate Insulating Products, the
3M Night Vision
window film was the perfect choice for Embarcadero Center.
“We used 3M Night Vision
25 on the building’s south, east and west sides, because of the film’s
superior ability to reduce solar heat and decrease glare,” says Lundquist. “We
knew that alone would greatly improve tenant comfort. But with Night Vision’s
low reflectivity, we also knew that tenants would finally have the ability to
enjoy clear views both day and night.”
Often, films that reduce solar heat and glare are so reflective they are difficult
to see through, especially at night. 3M Night Vision
film blocks solar heat by up to 59 percent and UV rays by up to 99 percent, and
it reduces glare by up to 72 percent—all while preserving views. The same
technology that tones down reflectivity also makes Night Vision film color-stable,
ensuring that the color won’t change over time.As soon as the window film installation project was under way, tenants
began reporting improvements, says Murtagh: “In fact, we even got a couple
of calls asking us to turn down the air-conditioning, because now, on that warm
southern face of the building, some of the tenants were cold!”
Those energy savings are also translating into cost reductions, with an estimated
$350,000 savings per year. In addition, Embarcadero
Center received a substantial rebate for the window film installation from Pacific
Gas and Electric. The energy savings made possible by 3M window films usually
pay back the cost of the film and installation within three to five years; but
in the case of Embarcadero Center, 3M estimates payback could be even sooner.
Following the installation project, Lundquist says several tenants hired Climate
Insulating Products to install the 3M Night Vision
film at their own homes.“3M is a worldwide brand,” says Murtagh. “3M products are used
throughout our industry—tapes, sealants, coatings, epoxy products, you
name it. As a result, we felt comfortable putting our trust into 3M’s window
film. As it turns out, the film installation accomplished all of our goals and
more.”
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