Daylighting System Provides Security and Energy Savings
When designing The Eagle Center, the first early childhood public charter school in Washington, D.C., The Eagle Academy was seeking an intellectually stimulating, sustainable environment for more than 900 students that resembled their previous castle-like building. But, for the new 27,000-square-foot facility, located in the South East side of Washington D.C., security was also a big concern.
Specifying 13,000 square feet of UniQuad panels by CPI Daylighting was the solution. Providing building envelope protection with its removable skin technology that allows the exterior panels to be replaced as needed, UniQuad panels gave The Eagle Center a U-value of .22, per NFRC, 50 percent light transmission, and 100 percent haze, per IBC code. The systems provides enough light that in the gym, the metal halides are rarely used, says the school.
The facility desired a seamless glazed look without any exposed aluminum connectors. This included a bi-colored design, alternating 27-foot-tall blue (Eagle Academy’s color) and white panels on the inside, while the outside panels are matte finished for enhanced security and daytime privacy.
Constructed of two independent translucent insulated panels, joined by a mechanically interlocking structure that eliminates the need for vulnerable wet seal and adhesives, the UniQuad can span as long as 12 feet between structural supports. Scalable, it can be configured with additional insulation, Class A fire-rated assembly, sound reduction, dynamic shading, additional structural performance, and military forced entry resistance.
With the goal of achieving LEED Silver, the UniQuad panels are just one of the many energy saving measures taken at The Eagle Center.