white lights

For his hurricane-prone area, Peterson insists on windows strengthened with a polyvinyl butyral (PVB) membrane between two pieces of laminated glass. He often specs the PVB in white rather than clear for aesthetic and functional reasons. “It gives the glass a white sheen like sand-blasted glass but it's easier to clean,” he explains. “It also resolves a not-so-nice view without blocking natural light.” For the Girl Scouts center seen here, Peterson designed an anodized-aluminum window wall with asymmetrical white and clear PVB panes accented by stainless steel sections. YKK AP America, 800.955.9551; www.ykkap.com

---