Technoform’s warm edge spacer supports energy-efficient design at 66 Galen Street
Located in Watertown, Massachusetts, 66 Galen Street is a LEED® Gold-certified, 224,000-square-foot life sciences facility that stands as a benchmark for sustainable design and technical innovation. A cornerstone of Watertown’s growing life sciences cluster, the building features a striking glass façade with complex custom fins, an angular northwest entrance, and a curved elevation that allows expansive views of the landscape, enhancing the visual connection between the interior and exterior environments. These architectural elements are not just visually compelling, they are performance-driven, contributing to the building’s energy efficiency and occupant comfort.
Fabrication Expertise by Press Glass
Bringing advanced glazing components together, Press Glass fabricated the project’s IGUs to precise specifications, integrating a carefully specified combination of Guardian Glass’s SunGuard™ series products, along with Technoform’s plastic hybrid stainless steel (PHSS) warm-edge spacer. The combination ensures the façade’s ability to meet the targets for thermal performance, condensation resistance, and aesthetics.
Contributing to Thermal Performance Behind the Scenes
Though largely invisible, Technoform’s hybrid warm edge spacers play a crucial role in reducing thermal bridging, minimizing heat loss, and improving the overall U-value of the glazing system. This helps maintain comfortable indoor temperatures and supports lower energy consumption—critical factors in achieving LEED Gold status.
Our warm edge spacers offer a high-performance, cost-effective solution that enables architects and developers to meet stringent energy codes while preserving design intent. Technoform’s warm edge spacer supports the project’s energy-saving goals while enhancing daylight, expansive views, and interior comfort.
A Building Envelope Designed for Efficiency
66 Galen Street’s exterior envelope combines energy-conscious materials and forward-thinking fenestration strategies. Durable terra cotta tiles, low-emissivity coatings, and high-performance curtainwall systems all work in tandem to reduce solar heat gain and optimize thermal performance.
The south- and east-facing elevations feature over 231 custom laminated glass fins, crucial for the building’s aesthetic and functional design, each spanning over 13 feet tall. Initially conceived to provide solar shading, these fins also help manage daylight exposure—allowing occupants to keep interior shades raised for longer, increasing natural light access and preserving daylighting and views.
From concept to completion, 66 Galen Street reflects a successful collaboration between design, performance, and sustainability. Technoform is proud to have played a part in supporting this modern, future-focused life sciences hub - proving once again that the best building solutions often work quietly in the background, delivering long-term value where it matters most.
Technoform provides high-performance solutions that are largely invisible to those enjoying their window views, yet significantly improve the thermal performance of façade, fenestration and cladding systems. Its best-in-class building envelope products are developed through collaboration with its customer partnerships to boost thermal performance of insulating glass, windows, doors, curtain wall, storefront and opaque façades. The relatively low cost and high performance of Technoform’s components help building designs to balance energy efficiency with occupant health and comfort without compromising aesthetics.
- Location: Watertown, MA
- Size: 224,000
- Mixed-use facility
- Project completion: 2024
- Architect: Elkus Manfredi
- Glazier: Sunrise Erectors
- Glass manufacturer: Guardian Glass
- Glass fabricator (insulating glass units (IGU) and laminated glass): Press Glass