Turning a Daylighting Liability Into a Library Asset
How do you bring natural light into the center of a large, two-story building without creating the very thing that makes libraries unusable — glare?
Project Details
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When designing the new 36,000 square foot Henrietta Public Library in Henrietta, New York, the team at Passero Associates faced a fundamental challenge: how do you bring natural light into the center of a large, two-story building without creating the very thing that makes libraries unusable — glare?
They knew that leaving the core of the building isolated from the outside world wasn’t an option. Natural light is recognized as the best quality light available and is ideal for libraries. But the traditional solution came with a fatal flaw.
The Problem with Traditional Skylights
As Project Architect Emily Connors explained, using clear glass in the large, two-story atrium would result in “bright glare patches deep inside a space” — which she called a “worst-case scenario” for a library where patrons need to do focused work on books and screens.
The design team understood that they didn’t just need light — they needed usable light. They needed diffusion.
The Solution: An Engineered Light Diffuser
The team needed more than just a window. They needed a system that could bring daylight into the center of the space while eliminating glare and maintaining the thermal performance of a wall assembly. They found it in Solera® glass.
Instead of dumping concentrated light onto the floor, Solera®’s aerogel and honeycomb technology diffuses the sunlight, spreading it softly and evenly throughout the space. This allowed Passero Associates to achieve their design goal of connecting the building’s core to the outside world — without the negative trade-offs.
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The Payoff: A Community Reignited
With Solera panels diffusing the sunlight, the library achieved a softer and more even distribution of light throughout every space — from the two-story atrium down to the first floor. Reading a book or working on a computer became more comfortable because everything was more colour-correct and glare was never an issue.
The design team was pleased with the results, but the ultimate endorsement came from the building’s users.
Once the new public library opened, library staff told Passero Associates that the first month’s circulation was up 20% over the same time the previous year. That was confirmation that a library filled with comfortable, usable daylight had reignited a passion for reading and learning for the local community.
Awards & Recognition
About the Project
The Henrietta Public Library, constructed in 2019 near Rochester, New York, was a community-driven project from the start. The library replaced an older facility that wasn’t feasible for renovation, and the Town of Henrietta held public hearings to allow citizens to help shape the design of this important community space.
To commemorate the town’s 200th anniversary and the 50th anniversary of Rochester Institute of Technology’s Henrietta campus, students from RIT’s industrial design program participated in a competition to design a play element for the children’s library. The winning design was a “treehouse” using wood from an oak tree that had fallen on RIT’s campus the previous year — creating a unique centrepiece that connected the library to the local community and academic institutions.
Advanced Glazings Ltd. is proud to have worked alongside Passero Associates by providing natural lighting design assistance and Solera® glass to help create this beautiful public library that the citizens of the Town of Henrietta will enjoy for many years to come.
