As part of a dynamic renovation of an historic athletic facility at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pa., developers selected Solarban^® 67 Starphire^® glass by Vitro Architectural Glass to create a stunning curved façade that brings new life – and more light – to the newly-named UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.

Formerly known as the A.J. Palumbo Center, the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse is the home of the men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball teams at Duquesne University. In addition to the primary arena, the building also houses the Folino Sports Performance Center, which features nearly 10,000 sq. ft. of athletic training equipment, performance labs and a nutritional center for the university’s student-athletes, as well as the Joe and Kathy Guyaux Player Development Center, which contains two regulation-sized basketball courts.

DRS Architects Inc. designed a bright, inviting street-facing façade that provides optimal daylighting for the inside of the facility and also aligns aesthetically with Duquesne University’s recent campus upgrades along Pittsburgh’s Forbes Avenue. Fabricator Trulite Glass & Aluminum Solutions and glazing contractor Gurtner & Sons Glazing produced the Solarban^® 67 Starphire^® glass that makes up the building’s façade and the Gilliand Pavilion, which offers impressive views of downtown Pittsburgh.

With a solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) of 0.30 in a standard one-inch insulating glass unit (IGU), Solarban^® 67 Starphire^® glass offers exceptional solar control performance that improves the overall energy efficiency of the building. Its visible light transmittance of 57% indicates that Solarban^® 67 Starphire^® glass delivers abundant daylight to the building’s interior, especially along the northern façade leading to the Clearway Community Energy Gate.

The renaming of Duquesne University’s primary athletic facility honors Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer and Duquesne alumnus Chuck Cooper, a Pittsburgh native and one of the first African American athletes to be drafted by the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 1950. The renovation of the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse began in March 2019 and was completed over the course of 22 months, culminating in an opening event on February 2, 2021.