In 2022 , the University of California ( UC ) Berkeley Botanical Gardens reached out to Prospiant for help implementing improvements to their tropic greenhouse , an old Ickes Braun structure with glazed glass . Around 1971 , the Botanical Gardens utilize " limpid shade " ( a white latex rouge ) to reduce solar profit and aid keep the greenhouse cool . A condom followup had kindle concern about the spray shade run - off , the applications programme and remotion think , and methods of the spray shade , along with the slip and confused spyglass . At that point , the garden meet Prospiant ’s Maintenance and Renovation Division , seeking choice .
Prospiant advocate supplant the glazing ( the meth ) and the glazing system of rules ( the aluminum bar that hold the glass to the structure ) with its TECHLITE organisation , which concord 16 mm acrylic panels .
Once on - site , Prospiant labor handler Ryan Dempsey evoke several different pick . The original blueprint included a percipient dialog box at the bottom half of the vertical walls . However , the customer was concerned about the potential of algae as well as the pregnant amount of 10 - fresh need , so they selected clear white acrylic on all surface .
Part of the Book of Job include lour the sidewall vents from the eave height to the plant stage . The TECHLITE organisation allows for with child volcano orbit , which provide for more passive cooling system capacity . Originally , the greenhouse had a rigid nicety system on the ceiling , with a bombastic fixed screening . To employ this system , the garden crew would have to rise onto the roof to install these additional rigid shade cover . Using the light white acrylic not only rid of the motivation for any annual spook covering and removal but also reduced solar gain , annual maintenance , and amend inactive chilling capabilities .
" Even with the greenhouse installation bunch being new to this technology , it went as smooth as a project can go , " order Dempsey .
Another necessary of this labor was that it needed a seismic upgrade , as all Berkeley holding must now be seismically reinforce . This was one of the first renovation task to incorporate such an upgrade , which included the aforesaid x - bracing inside the social organisation to help support the edifice in the event of an seism .
Because work start out at the first of the pandemic , the team faced — and overcame — various operational challenge such as social distancing , wearing masks at all time , and understanding and meeting changes to local requirement . In addition , they had to maneuver the 20 ' long acrylic panel and extruded textile through narrow pathways within the botanical gardens without damaging works .
Rob Tanzer , business managing director for the Prospiant Institutional Group , say , " take glass panels and supersede them with the TECHLITE glazing system is one of our specialties , and we ’ve done it quite often , and as we did here very successfully . "
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For more information : University of California Berkeleywww.berkeley.edu
