Madico^® Window Film Modernizes the Ellis Building in Sarasota, Florida.

The Challenge

The Ellis Building is a twelve story high-rise located in Sarasota, Florida and built in 1968 as an “ultra-modern” office building complete with green glass and imported white marble columns. At that time, this was the first major commercial construction in downtown Sarasota in more than 40 years. However, the building’s 1960’s design proved to be less than timeless when compared to the explosion of modern high-rise buildings that erupted nearby in recent years.

The rows of dark green vision glass, between rows of opaque green spandrel glass, created a dated look when compared to the sleek coated glass buildings around it. Recently, the Ellis Building’s owners decided it was time to bring the landmark into the 21st century with a facelift. They consulted with the design team at Benderson Development, a prestigious commercial property developer, to create an action plan.

The Solution

The Benderson Development design team proposed a plan that included washing the building to restore the luster of the white marble columns, painting the faded and chalky metal window framing and replacing all of the windows, 38,000 square feet of glass! It was quickly determined that the re-glazing element of the plan would not be a cost effective option. The team investigated alternative solutions and discovered Madico^®’s Exterior Solar Grey 20 (SG 20 E PS SR 3 Mil), scratch-resistant window film.

The application of Madico’s Exterior Solar Grey 20 window film created a modern, uniform look on all of the building’s windows, while also mitigating heat and glare. In fact, the film will reduce electric consumption by over 200,000 kilowatt hours each year saving thousands of dollars in cooling costs.

The Results

Bryan Lawson, Director of Construction for Benderson Development, stood on Main Street and gazed up at the building after the film had been installed and said, “Wow, I think you have taken 30 years off the age of this building, great job.” The building owners were equally impressed and have allowed Madico to track the past and future heating and cooling costs of the building. The solar control properties of the window film will have a measurable effect on energy savings.