The Boston-based architecture firm Leers Weinzapfel Associates chose advanced glazing by OKALUX for the recently renamed Anonymous Hall on the northern end of the campus of the Ivy League Dartmouth College in order to achieve a high energy standard and LEED Gold certification. The empty former library at Dartmouth College was redesigned accordingly and, since 2020, the building has been in use again. Now it houses a lobby and café with an adjoining terrace and a view out onto greenery. Connected by a spiral staircase, the upper levels of the building are home to departmental offices, seminar rooms and places for students to socialise. It is named in honour of those alumni and friends of the college who have quietly supported the institution for many years.
The terracotta-clad walls, the photovoltaic cells on the roof and the OKALUX glass make the building’s energy consumption nearly net-zero. The vacuum-insulated OKALUX HPI panels in combination with the OKATECH metal mesh with integrated sun and glare protection help lend the building its silken sheen during the day and offer neatly framed views of the interior at night. As well as its insulating properties, OKALUX HPI gas-filled triple glazing also helps the building maintain a low energy balance. With its variety of advanced technologies, Anonymous Hall’s façade system is the first of its kind in America.
