Dive Brief:

• The first installation of a new smart-tinting glass called Halio was revealed this week at Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc.’s office in San Francisco, as reported on Business Wire.
• The glass, developed by Kinestral Technologies, can transition from clear to dark in seconds and transform to its darkest tint in less than three minutes.
• "We see applications for Kinestral's Halio smart-tinting glass in both interior and exterior glazing locations," said Greg Gehlen, an SVP at Alexandria, in a statement. The glass was installed in one of the office's skylights and also in two meeting rooms for privacy purposes.

Dive Insight:

Adoption of smart-tinting glass can help lower energy use and costs for buildings by reducing energy needs. The glass is often indistinguishable from untreated glass in its clear state and has many uses for various types of buildings. While installation is likely easiest during construction, current building owners can retrofit parts of their building with this high-tech glass with little fuss.

A version of the tinting technology has been around since the 1980s when a company called Gentex introduced self-dimming rearview mirrors for the automotive industry. View, another self-tinting glass company founded in 2007, has been installed in 300 locations.

Smart glass is not the only gateway to energy efficient buildings. Just having a well-thought out architectural plan for window placement can help reduce reliance on electrical lighting. However as smart glass technologies become more highly developed, the opportunities for companies to focus on aesthetic appeal in addition to functionality is growing. Chris Gorthy, a preconstruction manager at DPR Construction, recently told Construction Dive, "A really energy-efficient building can be beautiful and functional at the same time."