New York Stock Exchange Gets SeriousGlass

New York Stock Exchange

New York, New York

Construction Type: Retrofit

Engineering & Installation: Skyline Windows

New York Stock Exchange Trades Up with New Façade Glass

Super-Insulating SeriousGlass™ modernizes the 104-year-old landmark for higher energy performance and maximum natural daylighting and comfort.

When it opened on April 22, 1903, the New York Stock Exchange building was a statement about the country’s growth and prosperity. Over the previous five years, the stock brokers that managed the exchange had seen their volume of stocks traded multiply several times over and expected the trend to continue. They launched an architectural competition to design a new building at 18 Broad Street with a large open trading floor that would accommodate a maximum number of traders. The interior called for an amphitheater atmosphere where traders could see each other and communicate during trading hours. The neoclassic design submitted by winning architect George B. Post included a trading floor of 109 x 140 feet, surrounded by 72-foot-high marble walls – two of which have glass reaching 50 feet to the ceiling and 96 feet across. The well lit interior is served by these windows as well as by a 30 square-foot skylight set into the ceiling.

“The New York Stock Exchange has a long and ongoing commitment to sustainability and we are proud to now call Serious Energy one of our partners in this endeavor. The new high R-value glass system provided by Serious Energy above the trading floor will improve our energy efficiency and provide another example of our commitment to sustainable operations."

– Duncan Niederauer, CEO, NYSE Euronext

When it opened, the trading floor was one of the grandest spaces in the nation. In today’s era of automated high-speed transactions, the type of open outcry and paper trading that the architect envisioned on the floor at the turn of the 20th Century seems quaint. Likewise, by the turn of this century, the windows that comprised the 60-foot vertical glass walls needed an update. They were single-pane thermal sieves that fogged up, undermining the daylight design and dripping condensation. Over the years, steam radiator pipes were installed to warm the glass in the winter to minimize this condensation, but they were an eye soar, and traders that worked near the windows still complained of being too cold in the winter and hot in the summer.

SeriousGlass Improves Energy Efficiency and Indoor Comfort

Serious Energy partnered with Skyline Windows for the installation of SeriousGlass units. Skyline Windows is a leading custom window design, manufacturing, and installation company that specializes in helping to preserve historic features of New York’s buildings.

As a building with relatively high internal loads, the New York Stock Exchange requires a delicate balance of air-conditional levels and large window coverings to mitigate solar gain. In addition, the many electronic displays throughout the trading floor also called for a glass retrofit solution that balances artificial and natural light.

The SeriousGlass energy-efficienct replacement:

Improves the original center-of-glass R-value by 250% (from 2.11 to 5.46) – achieving a level that would otherwise require six panes of standard glass to exceed.

Minimizes solar heat gain (SHGC of 0.33) while providing higher visible light transmission of 53 percent for a consistent and comfortable indoor environment.

Lowers HVAC system loads and building operating costs, including a dramatic decrease in the need to use steam radiator pipes near windows.

Enhances view from the inside out.

Improves the aesthetics compared to the existing, single-pane glass without significantly altering the traditional exterior.

Maintains a more consistent, comfortable indoor environment.

Blocks 99.9 percent of UV rays, reducing their harmful impacts such as interior fading.

The urban planners at PlaNYC, Mayor Bloomberg's sustainable growth initiative, estimate that 80% percent of New York City's carbon emissions stem from energy used in buildings, and that 85% of the existing building stock will still be around in 2030. NYC building owners and property managers are among the most motivated and pioneering in the country when it comes to demonstrating how old buildings can reach new heights in energy performance through building envelope reinforcement. This upgrade to the facade glass of the New York Stock Exchange building is a prime example of what can be done with cost-effective, advanced products such as SeriousGlass and iWindow. It is a trend-setting example of how to make existing buildings use less energy, be more comfortable, and enhance the overall health and efficiency of occupants.