Latest SPD SmartGlass Project @ The Globe of Science & Innovation CERN HQ Geneva, Switzerland

The article below has been taken directly from the CERN official website

A few weeks ago, the skylight at the top of the Globe was fitted with “smart glass”. The new glazing will allow the intensity of the light in the auditorium to be adjusted, thus solving the problem of sunlight reflecting on the giant screen during the day.

The Globe skylight while “off”: the smart glass remains opaque.

Inaugurated in 2004, the Globe of Science and Innovation has become one of the Organization’s key landmarks. Housing the permanent exhibition “The Universe of Particles” (which recently received a silver design award, as reported in the last issue of the Bulletin) and a multimedia auditorium, the Globe hosts many events every year. “The Globe has rapidly become an important communication tool for CERN,” enthuses Bernard Pellequer, who is in charge of event planning for the venue. “This is particularly true for the first floor, which is equipped with a giant screen. Unfortunately, we soon realised that the magnificent skylight, which is one of the Globe’s most striking features, rendered the screen unusable during the daytime since the light coming through it made it impossible to see what was on it.”

After seeking a suitable solution for four years, the Globe’s managers finally turned to an Irish company called Smart Glass International, which offers a new suspended particle device technology known as SPD Smart Glass. The fitting of smart glass in the skylight means that it can now be made light or dark at the flick of a switch, as Bernard Pellequer explains: “When no voltage is applied, the suspended particles are arranged in a random pattern, blocking the passage of light. When the electrical supply is switched on, the suspended particles align and let light pass. We can now control the amount of light coming through the roof by simply turning the power on or off.”

The Globe skylight while “on”: light enters the auditorium.
Note that this photo was taken mere moments after the first.

The glazing company paid two visits to CERN, the first in October 2011 to measure the dome and sides of the skylight 18 metres up in the roof, and the second in December to fit the 50 m² of SPD glass. The result was a real triumph of technology as hitherto the materials had only ever been fitted in luxury cars.

“Aside from purely practical considerations, we had to make sure that we didn’t change the atmosphere of the Globe or spoil its architectural beauty. The new technology meets all these criteria. It’s also consistent with the message of science and innovation we want to convey,” concludes Bernard Pellequer. “The screen now has an excellent contrast, so our goal has been achieved – in the smartest way you could imagine!”

by Anaïs Schaeffer

Read online article here

“Patient Observation without Contamination- Don’t cross the line”

LC SmartGlass for Critical Care Units

LC SmartGlass provides instant privacy at the flick of a switch. Users can immediately switch the LC SmartGlass window from clear to private (opaque) and vice versa. SmartGlass International, manufacturer of intelligent LC SmartGlass provides added value and increased flexibility in new build and refurbishment hospital designs, helps reduce HCAIs, improves working environments and increases the well being of occupants. LC SmartGlass provides healthcare patients with privacy and dignity allowing them to be protected at all times in a clean and safe environment which is proven to speed up recovery time and improve general patient well being. LC SmartGlass offers a sheer, easily cleaned surface replacing traditional blind systems which are difficult to clean & maintain and high risk in terms of harbouring dirt and bacteria associated with super bugs such as MRSA.

Critical care nurses provide around the clock bedside care and monitoring for patients resulting in an increased risk of cross-contamination. LC SmartGlass provides a solution to this problem and is particularly effective when used within an isolation ward as care staff can review patient well being without actually having to enter each isolation unit, risking cross-contamination. Instead, observation procedures are carried out using a safe, efficient system putting patient safety and well being at the forefront by largely reducing the risk of infection.

In the CCU, the preferred design is to allow a direct line of vision between the patient and the central nursing station. In CCUs with a modular design, patients should be visible from their respective nursing substations. LC SmartGlass can be switched from clear to obscure instantly from the nursing station to improve patient supervision and observation on the ward in an efficient manner. In this instance, both the nurse and the patient have control over the smart glass screen and can control it according to their requirements.

Every effort should be made to provide an environment that minimizes stress to patients and staff. Therefore, hospital ward design should consider natural illumination and view. This can be achieved through using LC SmartGlass where the patient can control his/her view of the hospital ward at the flick of a switch or by remote control. Lighting is such an important aspect of sensory orientation, open space and bright areas help to reinforce day/night orientation for patients and can aid recovery time immensely.

The comfort of CCU patients is a primary healthcare goal; LC SmartGlass delivers control over privacy, comfort and safety creating a peaceful recovery environment for CCU patients while reducing the risk of spreading HCAIs.

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Do you ever have one of those days when the Sun doesn’t know whether it’s coming or going, prompting you to keep opening and closing your blinds ?

Smart Glass windows offer a huge environmental benefit. In its “off” state, SPD SmartGlass reflects 98% of light dramatically reducing the need for air-conditioning (both the huge cost of installing it and the day-to-day cost of running it). Since smart glass is electronically operated, it can be easily controlled using a smart control system or a sunlight sensor, whether there are people inside the building or not.

According to scientists at the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), windows like this could save up to 8 percent of a building’s total energy consumption; SPD SmartGlass uses only tiny amounts of electricity to switch from dark to light making a huge net energy saving overall. Other benefits of smart windows include privacy at the flick of a switch (no more fumbling around with clumsy, dusty curtains and blinds), convenience (automatically darkening windows saving your upholstery and pictures from fading), and efficiency (electrically operated curtains are notoriously unreliable).

Furthermore, wouldnt you rather enjoy a floor to ceiling panoramic view with no obstructions such as blinds, shutters or curtains?

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Read what guests are saying about LC SmartGlass bathroom walls on travel review website Trip Advisor…

“It’s rooms are plush with modern furniture and all of the modern conveniences including WiFi. The bathroom offers both privacy and intimacy (full bath with glass wall open to the bedroom).”
Jan 2012

“Dedicated service…modern, clean, spacious room…fantastic facilities…in the nicest mall in Bahrain. If any of these interest you, then you must stay at the Kempinski in Bahrain. The room was very modern and had all of the amenities that you would expect in a 5 star hotel. Separate shower and bath. Open window bathroom and room design with privacy glass.”
Dec 2011

“Rooms are spacious and modern, and offers all the required features for a business man or for leisure. My favourite thing is the bathroom wall that can either be as transparent as glass or as opaque as milk with the snap of a button.”
Dec 2011

Sustainable development is defined as:
“Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of
future generations to meet their own needs.”

The words sustainable, green and environmentally friendly are used by many to promote buildings. All buildings, high-rise and low-rise, could be more sustainable in terms of their design, the construction process, their operation and the impact on the surrounding community.

There is no doubt that sustainability considerations need to be incorporated into building design for both legislative and moral reasons.

At the same time, high-rise buildings are required for sound commercial reasons such as, in the City of London:-

• A requirement for more space
• Their efficiency with respect to land use
• The ability to serve many people from existing transport and services infrastructure
• Occupier demand for prestigious locations

This leads naturally to a demand for sustainable tall buildings to satisfy both of these requirements.

Positive aspects relating to a sense of well-being associated with all building types are the availability of daylight, connection with the outside world, and the view. The ability to control the immediate environment also improves overall satisfaction. In high-rise buildings, whilst there may be advantages in terms of daylighting and views out, openable windows may not be possible on safety grounds or due to wind effects.

Cambridge Study: Energy Saving Potential of SPD Glass

“Smart Building Envelopes”

University of Cambridge, Department of Engineering.
Prepared by: M. Beevor

This project looks into the development and performance of new smart technology that helps to reduce excessive energy loads used in buildings. Building physics and the improvement of energy efficiency associated with it is a very important area of engineering research and development in the world today, with 40% of the world’s carbon being consumed in maintaining a comfortable interior environment. One of the most susceptible building facades for high amounts of energy loss is glass, and with modern architectural movements in using glass to create ‘honest’ buildings accentuated by light and space, the use of glass facades is ever increasing.

Driven for the need for better insulated zero-carbon buildings, a new generation of actively controlled components, are starting to replace conventional materials. These smart devices are able to respond to seasonal variations in temperature and solar radiation. Such advancements in ‘smart’ windows will stimulate the continued use of glass as a building facade and also reduce the energy loads associated with achieving a comfortable internal environment. The foundation of this project is to address the performance of new switchable chromogenic glass, and more specifically ‘SPD SmartGlass’. SPD SmartGlass uses suspended particle device technology which gives an electronic control of light and heat transmission by altering the ‘tint’ of the window. When switched on the glass turns clear and allows for around 45% visible light transmission, and when no current is applied the glass holds a blue tint and allows less than 1% visible light transmission. In all states of transparency the glass rejects over 99% of UV light transmission.

View entire Paper outlining testing into the Energy Saving Potential of SPD Glass:
Cambridge University SPD SmartGlass Report.pdf

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CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, is one of the world’s largest and most respected centres for scientific research. At CERN, the world’s largest and most complex scientific instruments are used to study the basic constituents of matter — the fundamental particles.

The Globe of Science and Innovation

Designed by Geneva architects T. Büchi and H. Dessimoz, the Globe is as much a homage to the Earth as demonstration of human ingenuity and is undeniably becoming the landmark for CERN. The role of this new spherical building is to serve as a source of pride for the scientific community by sharing the important work done at CERN.

Housing a permanent exhibition and intended as a venue for a wide range of activities, conferences and other one-off events, the Globe of Science and Innovation is well on the way to becoming a major symbol of cutting-edge scientific research in the Geneva region.

SmartGlass International has recently completed an exciting feature within the dome using SPD SmartGlass.
SPD-SmartGlass can be manually or automatically “tuned” to precisely control the amount of light, glare and heat passing through a window.