Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery

Washington, D.C.

Originally the US Patent Office in Washington, D.C., the restoration project for the National Portrait Gallery was to unveil a skylight that had been boarded up for more than 40 years because it was too hot, too bright and didn’t provide an appropriate amount of UV protection for the artwork.

SeriousGlass now provides the first natural light seen in the fourth floor atrium in decades. The Serious Energy glass used has eight times the insulating value and 99 percent UV blockage to protect the artwork and keep the building warm in the winter and cool in the summer.