Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum Features 3M Window Film

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio, recently teamed with 3M and Sunray Window Films, who installed 3M Sun Control Window Film Prestige Exterior 40 on the exterior glass of this celebrated structure.

While the unique architecture of the 150,000 square-foot glass enclosed museum employs natural light to illuminate the exhibits, it risks exposing them to ultraviolet (UV) rays and increases energy use for cooling. With the installation of Prestige Exterior 40, the windows can now reject both heat and UV rays, while reducing the visible reflectivity of the existing glass.

With uncompromised aesthetics, the unmatched and distinct architecture of the museum and the specific angle of the building’s custom windows made traditional window covering and energy savings solutions difficult. Blocking excessive heat and UV rays from the outside in was the perfect solution and 3M window film made that possible. “We’ve installed window film to many different styles of buildings before, but never a glass enclosed building with this type of geometric design—it truly is an architectural wonder,” said John Susnik of Sunray Window Films. “Since the building is almost entirely made of glass, they will see a noticeable return on energy savings.”

3M Prestige Series window films use nano-technology without metal to create reflectivity that's actually lower than glass. These films selectively refract light from the spectrum and reject up to 97 percent of the sun's heat-producing infrared light and 99.9 percent of UV rays to keep tenants cool. With this technology, museum exhibits shine and views remain true to life, because the only thing patrons see day or night, inside or out, is a beautiful window.

“The 3M window film was an easy decision,” said Brian Kenyon, chief financial officer, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. “It protects our artifacts from UV rays, improves our visitor experience and reduces energy consumption. This window film is durable enough to give us years of performance while simultaneously enhancing the aesthetics and efficiency of the museum. After researching numerous options, 3M was the only solution that didn’t contain any metal, preventing corrosion and thereby making it the only viable solution.”

The installation took Sunray Window Films approximately six weeks to complete. It’s estimated that the film will save the museum between $20,000-$40,000 in energy cost a year.