FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Media contact: Heather West, ,

Faribault, Minn. -The $19 million Twin Lakes Elementary School is a green-designed structure that bears little resemblance to standard schools. Located in Minnesota’s Elk River Area School District, the 98,200 square-foot structure is pursuing Silver level certification through the LEED® Green Building Rating System". Helping achieve its certification, the school was designed by Schrock DeVetter Architects, P.A. and built by Kraus-Anderson Construction Company using environmentally friendly materials such as dynamically tintable windows with SageGlass® products in its Science Center.

Produced by SAGE Electrochromics, the electronically tintable glass can be darkened or lightened to adjust for temperature, lighting and energy needs. The SageGlass glazing was fabricated into window units manufactured by Wausau Window and Wall Systems and installed by W.L. Hall Company.

“Daylighting is a major green concept, so Twin Lakes has lots of windows,” says Dan Collins, the school’s principal. “SageGlass’ tintable window technology adds to the school’s daylighting performance, because it enables teachers to control light intensity and glare in the Science Center without completely shutting out the light the way shades or blinds do. Teachers really like the fact that windows with SageGlass technology don’t make the room feel closed off the way standard control methods would; these windows still give students and teachers a sense of connection to the outside.”

With the push of a button, teachers can change the windows in the Science Center from clear to tinted, or from tinted to clear. Because SageGlass products eliminate the need for shades or blinds, less artificial lighting is necessary, resulting in further energy savings. In its tinted state, SAGE’s glass is highly effective at blocking the sun’s energy, allowing only 9% of the solar heat to penetrate the glass. Standard nonresidential windows, on the other hand, allow as much as 30% of the sun's energy to reach into a building’s climate-controlled interior.

Supporting these efficiencies, the amount of energy SageGlass products require to perform their energy-saving function is negligible. It takes roughly the same amount of electricity to operate 1,500 square feet of SageGlass glazing as it does to power a 60-watt light bulb for the same time period. According to data from the U.S. Department of Energy, SAGE’s tintable window technology can reduce a building’s annual energy bill by as much as 28%, and cut on-peak demand for electricity by as much as 25%.

Collins thinks SageGlass products will be a great focus for energy-based curricula and lessons. He says, “Students could compare and contrast energy usage and savings data between the Science Center and its use of SageGlass windows, and other classrooms with ‘old school’ methods of controlling sunlight and glare.”

He adds that SAGE’s dynamically tintable technology is also handy for those times when teachers need to darken the room to show educational video materials or reduce glare on computer screens. Beyond the glass’ functionality and performance, Collins finds that SageGlass’ energy-efficient products are also a very tangible way to demonstrate green ideas and concepts to students: “When kids see tintable technology in action, their typical reaction is, ‘That’s cool!’”

“Dynamically tintable glass is a very impressive and useful green technology,” Collins continues. “Even though the Science Center is the only part of the school that has SageGlass technology in its windows, my understanding is that Twin Lakes’ utilization of this technology is helping the school pursue its LEED Silver Certification.”

Among Twin Lakes Elementary’s other green features are classroom ceilings that slant inward, allowing for larger windows and more natural light. This design element also brings more light to the back of the room. Even Twin Lakes’ hallways have natural light, courtesy of light tubes that diffuse, magnify and reflect light outward and downward.

According to the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), green schools improve student performance and reduce absenteeism. The USGBC says green schools also:
Use 33% less energy
Save 32% more water
Reduce solid waste by 74%
Cost less to operate, saving an average of $100,000 per year.

A December 2005 report for the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative cited a national review of 30 green schools and analysis of available research showing that green schools cost 1.5% to 2.5% more than conventional schools to construct, but provide financial benefits that are 10 to 20 times as large.

SageGlass products may aid projects seeking LEED certification by potentially earning credits in these categories: Optimize Energy Performance (EA Credit 1), Controllability of Systems (EQ Credit 6), Thermal Comfort (EQ Credit 7), and Daylight and Views (EQ Credit 8). SAGE’s energy-efficient products also qualify for listing in the GreenSpec® directory, which means they are designated as environmentally preferable building products.

SAGE also contributes to reduced maintenance and increased lifetime of interior furnishings. In its tinted state, the glass blocks nearly 100% of harmful UV radiation and the portion of visible light that causes fading to furniture, artwork, carpet and other materials.

Tom Baranick, the facilities manager for the Elk River Area School District, says, “The fact that there are no exposed, moving parts is a real bonus when you’re dealing with younger kids; there are no cords for them to yank out, or blinds for them to twist up or get tangled in, so we won’t have to worry about [these types of] replacements or attendant expenses.” He also notes that SageGlass windows are a better choice than blinds or shades when it comes to issues of dust and cleaning, and are better from an ease of operation standpoint.


To learn more about SAGE and its products, please call , or visit sage-ec.com.
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Media Contact:
Heather West
Heather West Public Relations



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