Two Oklahoma City Landmarks Highlight SOLARBAN Glass Advancements

Two Oklahoma City landmarks, constructed more than 20 years apart and both featuring SOLARBAN glass by PPG Industries, are part of a company retrospective highlighting nearly a half-century of development in energy-efficient glass.

Completed in 1984 and featuring classic Modernist glass-and-steel design, Leadership Square features two 16-story towers constructed with Solarban 560-8 TWINDOW glass by PPG. As a cutting-edge product of the era – developed partially in response to the oil crises of the 1970s – reflective Solarban Twindow glass helped large commercial buildings such as those in Leadership Square reduce air-conditioning use by blocking the sun’s heat energy while sacrificing its ability to light interior spaces.

Conversely, the new terminal at Will Rogers World Airport, which opened 21 years later, features Solarban 60 glass. Introduced in the early 2000s, this advanced product combines the neutral, non-reflective appearance of clear glass with the ability to block more than 60 percent of the sun’s heat energy. Consequently, it enables buildings such as Will Rogers World Airport to cut energy use by daylighting interior spaces and reducing air-conditioning demand.