Colorado office park boosted natural daylight by 50% and improved comfort – all with a glass-only retrofit.
By reducing existing frames, the Colorado Office Park cut capital costs by 60%, avoided disruption, and improved tenant comfort year-round.
Background
A commercial real estate firm with over 40 years of experience manages an award- winning office park in Lakewood, Colorado. With an emphasis on tenant comfort and operational excellence, the property management firm is known for its commitment to creating workplaces that prioritize productivity, efficiency, and well-being.
The 3-building office complex has sweeping foothill views and spaces designed for executive, medical, legal, and government tenants. However, aging windows were leading to significant heat loss in winter, excessive heat gain in summer, and rising energy costs. These inefficiencies strained mechanical systems and led to frequent temperature complaints. The property management firm previously evaluated a full window replacement solution using an R4 glazing product but did not proceed due to a 25 to 30-year simple payback. LuxWall and JRB Service partnered to deliver a glass-only retrofit solution that significantly reduced glazing capital costs by using the existing frames and reduced energy usage with a strong payback. JRB Service commenced Enthermal glass only retrofit installation in March 2025.
R-Value
temperature
by conduction (BTU/ft2)
Glass-only retrofit solution
Enthermal Transparent Insulation can be installed directly into a building’s existing thermally or non-thermally broken frames in less than one hour per window—from inside the building, without removing or rebuilding the original frame. Proven glazing components like glazing tape, pocket-reducing wedge gaskets, and silicone ensure a weather tight seal.
The result is a dramatic improvement in the windows’ thermal resistance, reducing heat loss during winter and heat gain during summer – key factors in lowering energy costs and improving tenant comfort. By retaining existing window frames, capital cost are reduced by up to 60%, tenant displacement is minimized, and costly full-scale facade renovations can be avoided.
Enthermal impact
The property management firm selected LuxWall with JRB Service, a LuxWall certified Value Added Reseller (VAR), to install 930 Enthermal 10-mm units, as a glass-only retrofit project—totaling more than 20,000 square feet in three buildings. JRB Service assessed the existing building envelope and ribbon wall window system and developed a solution to replace the existing 25-mm double-pane glass with LuxWall Enthermal 10-mm using the building’s existing thermally broken window frames. With minimal tenant disruption, JRB Service’s team retrofitted up to 20 ribbon windows per day, avoiding building downtime and business interruptions.
After installation, measurements were taken to assess performance, with results that surpassed expectations. The building’s original frames glazed with Enthermal were 3 degrees warmer, with 9 degrees warmer Enthermal glass temperatures. Despite the 48° F winter day, Enthermal prevented heat loss and had an additional warming effect on the original frames. This high-efficiency, tenant-friendly glass upgrade lowered building energy strain, extended HVAC life, and immediately improved tenant comfort.
