Vitro Architectural Glass Celebrates 60-Year Evolution of Solarban Glass

Vitro Architectural Glass (formerly PPG Glass) is marking 60 years of evolution and innovation of Solarban glass, the flagship brand for one of the industry’s most environmentally advanced lines of solar control, low-emissivity (low-e) glasses. Solarban glass, one of the earliest coated energy-efficient glass brands, has driven the sustainable building movement with significant energy savings and transparency. This has enabled architects and designers to achieve and exceed eco-friendly design goals.

Introduced in 1964, Solarban glass was a pioneer among coated glasses designed to deflect heat from buildings. Its innovative design improved occupant comfort, reduced utility expenses related to HVAC systems and laid the foundation for sustainable design and construction.

Over the past six decades, Solarban glass and its precursors have been at the forefront of multiple groundbreaking advancements, continuously reshaping architectural glass performance. In the 1980s and early 1990s, single-silver and double-silver glasses were introduced, which helped enhance year-round comfort in homes and buildings while saving on heating and cooling costs. In 2000, the world was introduced to the first double-silver vacuum temperable low-e glass that allowed for post-manufacturing fabrication, Solarban 60 glass.

The world’s first triple-silver low-e glass, Solarban 70 glass (formerly Solarban 70XL glass), was introduced at Greenbuild in 2005 and rapidly became the most commonly specified triple-silver low-e coated glass in the industry, with more than 700 million square feet shipped since its inception. In 2015, the first-ever quad-silver low-e glass, Solarban 90 glass, was introduced as Vitro’s highest-performing solar control low-e coating.