Let in the light--Aluminum windows provide natural light and energy efficiency

摘要

In the case of the Valor Christian High School in Highlands Ranch, Colo., high-performance windows manufactured from recycled aluminum by Wausau Window and Wall Systems, Wausau, Wis., helped the private school's Academic Building earn LEED Gold certification. Valor opened the building in August 2007 and is the first private school in the state to earn LEED Gold, which was achieved in November 2008. The school's athletic building was certified LEED Gold at the same time. The football and track stadium earned LEED Gold in February 2009. The aluminum windows on the three-story, 118,000-square-foot (12,077-m~2) Academic Building feature 20 percent recycled content. They are also thermally broken with plastic to cut down on heat/ cold transfer. The building's aluminum curtainwall from Oldcastle Glass Vistawall, Santa Monica, Calif., includes 58 percent recycled content.