The space was hot and humid with no ability to control the solar heat gain. The electrochromic skylights helped to reduce the building's HVAC cooling requirements by at least 18 percent
Challenge
A leaky metal roof at the U.S. Naval Academy’s MacDonough Hall provided the academy with an opportunity to bring natural daylight to the dreary interior as well as improve the building’s energy performance.
“The challenge was, if we made an all-glass roof, how would we avoid ‘poaching’ the people inside of the building, so to speak. The space is already hot and humid, so controlling soar heat gain was a major concern” said Tony Freitag, Navy architect.
Solution
Freitag and his team ran energy calculations based on using electrochromic glass and discovered it would reduce the building’s HVAC cooling requirements by at least 18 percent.
“The electrochromic skylight creates a bright space with natural light and enhances the daylight in adjacent spaces, as well,” Freitag said.