Solarban R100 Solarblue Glass Contributes to Daytona Beach’s Post-Hurricane Revival
Brown & Brown’s new 11-story headquarters was converted from a brownfield site with demolished buildings and abandoned parking lots into a sleek curtainwall and metal paneled mid-rise in downtown Daytona Beach.
Supporting the rebirth of the downtown riverfront district in the aftermath of the 2017 Hurricane Irma flooding, the insurance brokerage firm is proud to contribute to this revitalization with its new 200,000-square-foot building.
“We think it’s going to do a tremendous amount for the downtown community and the broader area,” says Andy Watts, executive vice president, CFO and treasurer, Brown & Brown.
Vitro's contribution
Helping to bring architect RS&H’s blue and silver boxed façade to life are large units of Vitro's Solarban R100 Solarblue glass ranging from 5 feet wide by 2 feet high to 5 feet wide by 9 feet high inside multi-span and high-span curtainwall units fabricated by Tristar Glass Inc.
“The glass curtainwall façade facing east facilitates a breathtaking, unobstructed view of the Halifax River in the foreground and the Atlantic Ocean in the background,” says Daniel Heumann, senior project manager architect, RS&H. “Nearly all employees have a view of the river from their primary work location.”
The architects chose Solarban R100 Solarblue glass due to its light sky-blue hue with thermal properties. In a 1-inch insulating glass unit, Solarban R100 Solarblue glass boasts a visible light transmittance of 26% and a solar heat gain coefficient of 0.19.
“The glazing proved perfect for the vision glass and shadowbox applications and blended well with the clear anodized, insulated metal panels and louvers featured on the west elevation,” says Heumann.
More office space info
Replacing Brown & Brown’s previous headquarters with a building three times the size, the office space can now accommodate up to 900 teammates. In line with the company’s directive, RS&H designed the same floor plan for each level with centralized elevators, restrooms, conference areas and break spaces.
In addition to the views of the river, teammates can see the Atlantic Ocean through the curved walls on the east side and step out into an open-air deck on the south side of the structure above the second floor.
“On a clear day, you can see the Dunlawton Bridge in Port Orange and the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse from the 11th floor. Looking to the west, you can see Daytona International Speedway and AdventHealth and Halifax Health hospitals,” says James Lanni, vice president of real estate, Brown & Brown.
