Chicago Bears Halas Hall UV Window Film, 2017

Project at a glance

• Client: Chicago Bears, Halas Hall headquarters and training facility, Lake Forest, Illinois
• Year: 2017
• Areas treated: glass near trophy cases and memorabilia display areas
• Film: Panorama 2 mil Hilite 70, applied to the interior of the glass
• Schedule: normal business hours, without interrupting the facility’s operations
• Result: the Bears told us they love it

Halas Hall displays trophies and irreplaceable memorabilia from the team’s history, including George S. Halas exhibits. Sunlight through the building’s windows reached those display areas, and ultraviolet light, visible light and heat all contribute to fading. The team wanted to protect the collection without darkening the building or changing how the displays and the views look.

In 2017 AAA Glass Tint installed Panorama 2 mil Hilite 70 on the interior of the glass near the trophy cases and memorabilia areas. AAA Glass Tint is a Panorama authorized dealer.

Hilite 70 was chosen because it protects the collection while staying almost invisible. On 1/4 inch clear glass, Panorama lists it at:

• More than 99 percent of ultraviolet light blocked, compared with 34 percent for the same glass without film
• 46 percent fade reduction
• 70 percent visible light transmission, so the space stays bright
• 8 percent exterior visible light reflectance, so the glass does not look mirrored
• 54 percent of total solar energy rejected and 21 percent glare reduction

Our crew installed the film during normal business hours, working around the facility so internal operations were not interrupted. We do not subcontract installation; our own crews do the work.

The display areas now sit behind glass that blocks more than 99 percent of ultraviolet light, with the building’s daylight and appearance essentially unchanged. The Bears told us they love it.

Window film greatly reduces fading but cannot stop it completely, because visible light and heat also contribute. Hilite 70 addresses all three: it blocks ultraviolet light, reduces visible light by about a fifth and rejects more than half of the solar energy.