Guardian Bastille installed Solargard Slate 20 window film across the Navigant Credit Union headquarters in Smithfield, RI, addressing severe afternoon glare in the executive office wing and open workspace areas of this two-story brick and glass corporate campus.
Extreme Glare Control for a High-Visibility Corporate Headquarters
Navigant Credit Union’s Smithfield headquarters sits on an open, west-facing site with expansive curtain-wall glass wrapping both floors of the building. That much uninterrupted glass brings in a lot of natural light, but it also meant direct, low-angle sun was hitting desks, screens, and conference room glass hard enough to make afternoons difficult to work through.
Guardian Bastille specified Solargard Slate 20, a neutral gray film built specifically for extreme glare environments. At 20% visible light transmission, it cuts sun glare dramatically while still preserving clear sightlines out of the building — a priority for a financial institution’s headquarters where the design intent was an open, transparent-feeling workplace.
Why Slate 20
Slate 20 was chosen over a lighter-transmission film because of how much unshaded glass the building carries and how directly it faces the afternoon sun. The film also rejects a significant share of solar heat, easing the load on the building’s HVAC system during peak cooling hours, and blocks the majority of UV rays that fade furniture, flooring, and finishes over time.
The result is a building that keeps its open, glassy character from the outside while giving employees inside a workspace that’s actually comfortable to sit in through a full afternoon of direct sun.
