With some companies embracing remote work and others investing heavily in real estate, it begs the question: What will employees demand from post-pandemic workplaces? One high-profile commercial development in India offers a glimpse into how electrochromic glass is shaping the office of the future.
Cover image: Rendering of Rio Business Park, Bangalore, India
SageGlass, the global leader in electrochromic glass, was chosen by Bagmane Group, one of India’s largest build-to-suit real estate developers, to create the largest smart glass installation in the world. SageGlass will provide 200,000 square feet of SageGlass Harmony® electrochromic glass, controls, and software for Rio Business Park, a 1.6 million square foot office development in Bangalore, India.
Electrochromic glass — also referred to as smart glass or dynamic glass — uses advanced intelligence to automatically tint throughout the day, reducing glare and regulating temperatures while letting natural light in. This technology offers both energy savings and a luxurious office experience. In a survey of French tech employees in an office equipped with SageGlass, the vast majority of those polled said that dynamic glass has a positive effect on their wellbeing at work.
“As employee wellness and sustainability become higher priorities for savvy building owners, SageGlass is in a unique position to deliver both,” said Namrata Vora, SageGlass VP of Sales, North America and India/Asia Pacific. “We are so pleased to partner with Bagmane Group to create a healthy, sustainable workplace for their tenants at Rio Business Park. And this project will benefit from some of our latest innovations, including SageGlass Harmony — the first electrochromic glass to tint on a gradient — along with transparent OLED displays, and Saint-Gobain’s MC350, a device to measure Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) factors.”
“We strive to create premiere workplace experiences for our world-class customers,” said Aditya Bagmane, director at Bagmane Group. “For this office development, we are working with a tech customer who expects the best. We chose SageGlass for this innovative building because of their superior smart glass offering, ability to invest in cutting-edge technology, and Saint-Gobain’s presence in India.”
The SageGlass India team will work with local glazier Glass Wall Systems to install and commission more than 12,000 smart glass panels at Rio Business Park for this project, which is already underway. Google will serve as the primary tenant for the space beginning in August 2022.
About SageGlass
SageGlass is the global leader in electrochromic glass and is transforming the human experience in the built environment. With this smart technology, dynamic glass tints and clears automatically to optimize daylight and regulate temperature — all while maintaining unobstructed views of the outdoors.
With SageGlass, building occupants comfortably experience the biophilic benefits of the outdoors, including stress reduction, enhanced creativity, and greater wellbeing. Architects choose SageGlass to solve solar control challenges elegantly without sacrificing aesthetics. And SageGlass can help building owners use less energy and achieve sustainability and wellness certifications.
SageGlass holds more than 1,000 patents and counting. And as a wholly owned subsidiary of Saint-Gobain, SageGlass is backed by more than 350 years of building science expertise that only the world leader in sustainable environments can provide.
About Saint-Gobain
Saint-Gobain designs, manufactures and distributes materials and solutions for the construction, mobility, healthcare and other industrial application markets. Developed through a continuous innovation process, they can be found everywhere in our living places and daily life, providing wellbeing, performance and safety, while addressing the challenges of sustainable construction, resource efficiency and the fight against climate change.
This strategy of responsible growth is guided by the Saint-Gobain purpose, “Making the World a Better Home,” which responds to our shared ambition to act every day to make the world a more beautiful and sustainable place to live in.
About Bagmane Group
Founded in 1996, Bagmane Group is the Bangalore based developer of prestigious business parks in India. With Bagmane Tech Park, its first project launched in 1998. Bagmane Group is the name behind premier Grade A knowledge workplaces across key Indian markets. Bagmane business parks have the reputation of being of the highest quality and offering myriad advantages — including campus style developments, contemporary design, futuristic materials and a wide range of in-campus amenities and facilities.
About Glass Wall Systems
Glass Wall Systems Pvt Ltd is India’s leading facade fabricator. We provide turnkey architectural facade solutions where we translate the vision of our clients into reality. Our Design, Manufacturing and Project Management facilities are amongst the best in the country.
We are headquartered in Mumbai, with a strong presence in Bangalore, Delhi, NCR, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Pune making us a true Pan India company. We have also expanded our operations and expertise to Sri Lanka, where we offer a full range of glazing systems and custom-designed architectural metal works.