Low-carbon glass ORAÉ®: a breakthrough innovation for glass façades

This is glass with the lowest carbon footprint on the market. The innovation comes from Saint-Gobain Glass, which has expanded its portfolio of materials for sustainable construction. ORAÉ® will mainly find use in glass facade constructions, and already in its projects, Bouygues Immobilier, Icade Santé, and Nexity are counting on it.

The estimated carbon footprint of the new glass is only 7 kg CO2 equivalent/m². Compared to the baseline European product from Saint-Gobain Glass, this represents an improvement of around 40%. The exceptional properties of ORAÉ® are primarily due to three factors: extensive research in European markets, the use of glass recycling (the glass contains up to 70% cullet), and renewable energy sources.

Three major French developers have already committed to incorporating ORAÉ® into their projects. Icade Santé will be the very first to use ORAÉ® in France, incorporating it into the renovation of the Polyclinique du Parc, a medical facility in Caen. This innovation, along with other modifications, is expected to reduce the polyclinic's CO2 emissions by 37% by 2030.

Bouygues Immobilier plans to use ORAÉ® in the new administrative building Kalifornia in Hauts-de-Seine, while Nexity will apply it in the reconstruction of Carré des Invalides in Paris. The former seat of the regional council of l’Île de France will be transformed into a complex that combines office and residential spaces with accommodation for students.

Planned administrative building Kalifornia

New appearance of Le Carré des Invalides

ORAÉ® will be used in combination with the low-emission coating COOL-LITE® XTREME. This is also part of the Saint-Gobain Glass portfolio and belongs to solutions that significantly reduce carbon emissions occurring during building usage. It has a selectivity greater than 2, thus reducing the need for artificial lighting, heating, and air conditioning.

Low-emission glass from Saint-Gobain Glass undoubtedly represents innovations that advance sustainable construction by a significant step. An EPD for ORAÉ® is currently being prepared and should be available in early 2023.