The new Grande Prairie Library in Grande Prairie, Alberta, opened in June 2009 and boasts 37,400 square feet of space housing state-of-the-art technology and a quiet, light-filled atmosphere for book lovers to enjoy. In total, more than 10,000 square feet of glass were specified for the project, which was led by Teeple Architects of Toronto, contractor Wright Construction of Saskatchewan and glazing contractor All-West Northern Glass (AWG) of Grande Prairie. To meet the deadlines and requirements of the project, AWG enlisted PFG Glass of Langley, British Columbia, to assist with IG production.

“We partnered with PFG to complete the units because of their stellar reputation for quality and their ability to produce Super Spacer^® TriSeal™ units on an automated production line,” McCartney said. “We worked closely to ensure optimal quality of the units and timely delivery.” PFG manufactured around 300 IG units for the project, averaging about 40 square feet each. According to Ole Nielsen, founder and CEO of the company, some units were as large as 65 square feet and 650 lbs.

The triple-pane units provided by PFG were constructed with: 6 mm Low-E glass, Super Spacer TriSeal, argon filling, 6 mm clear tempered glass, TriSeal, argon filling, and 6 mm Low-E with an overall thickness of 50 mm—or just shy of two inches.

Additionally, AWG built 12 specialty units featuring graphic printing on the center lites of the triple-pane systems. OKALUX of Germany provided the printed glass, which adds to the aesthetic appeal and modern feeling of the library.

Some units also included a dot-matrix pattern to control sun glare, and all units included argon gas, Low-E and Super Spacer TriSeal.

“We use Super Spacer on every unit we manufacture that uses argon and Low-E,” McCartney said. “We have worked with Quanex for 15 years and are confident in its overall performance.”

The Grande Prairie Library is a LEED Silver Certified project, and AWG is working on a few more projects hoping for the same aspiration of being LEED Certified.