The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Committee on the Environment (COTE) honored the top 10 "green" building projects for 2013 at the AIA National Convention and Design Exposition, June 20-22 in Denver, and at least five of the projects were constructed with glass or coatings made by PPG Industries.

Charles David Keeling Apartments, La Jolla, CA is constructed with operable windows fabricated with Solarban 60 glass and Solarban 70XL glass. In addition to providing clear ocean and courtyard views from virtually all the occupied spaces, the advanced low-emissivity (low-e) coatings on Solarban 60 glass and Solarban 70XL glass combine with permeable exterior shading devices to mitigate the effects of solar heat gain. Large operable windows in each apartment enable occupants to ventilate living spaces naturally using the nearly constant ocean breezes, eliminating the need for mechanical air conditioning.

Marin County Day School Learning Resource Center & Courtyard, Corte Madera, CA, uses glazing made with Solarban 60 glass and Solarban 70XL glass to form a strong indoor-outdoor connection for students to enhance their ecological literacy. Ninety-five percent of the indoor spaces are daylit and naturally ventilated with operable windows and skylights. Solar heat gain is controlled by the low-e coatings on the Solarban glasses and shading is provided by covered walkways, natural landscaping and horizontal sunshades.

San Francisco Public Utilities Commission Headquarters incorporates Solarban 70XL glass over Starphire glass in an integrated daylight-harvesting and lighting scheme that enables the building to use 45 percent less energy for interior illumination than a typical Class A office building. Open office design combines with light shelves, light-reflective concrete walls, manually operated windows and automated shades that are tied to the trajectory of the sun to maximize daylighting and occupant comfort.

Swenson Civil Engineering Building, University of Minnesota-Duluth, features large expanses of Solarban 60 glass strategically located in buffer zones along the north and west exposures to minimize heating loads in Minnesota's harsh winter climate. The south exposure is lined with clerestory windows, also fabricated with Solarban 60 glass, that allow warm sun to penetrate and heat a large, open hydraulics laboratory.

Yin Yang House, Venice, CA is a net-zero-energy single-family home that uses Solarban 80 glass and a perforated metal roof canopy to daylight living spaces while reducing solar heat gain. Operable windows and sliding glass doors fabricated with Solarban 80 glass and metal window frames protected by Duranar coatings by PPG enable prevailing ocean winds to naturally cool and ventilate the 4,700-square-foot home without mechanical air conditioning.

According to PPG, Solarban solar control, low-e architectural glasses offer excellent solar performance with high levels of transmitted natural light to dramatically reduce cooling- and lighting-related energy costs in buildings. PPG is the first glass manufacturer to earn certification through the CRADLE TO CRADLE CERTIFIED program at the Silver tier for its entire collection of architectural glasses, including Solarban glasses.

Proven on architectural metals for nearly 50 years in the toughest weather environments, Duranar 70 percent fluoropolymer coatings have excellent color and gloss retention and are resistant to chipping, chalking, peeling and fading as well as environmental hazards, such as dirt, chemicals, salts spray and acid rain, according to the firm. In addition to meeting American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA) 2605 specifications, Duranar coatings provide architects and building owners with a broad selection of colors and metallic effects.