This glass building's windows tint automatically based on the brightness of the sun

Architects have long loved glass office buildings. Airy yet structurally strong, their floor-to-ceiling glass walls provide plenty of light and make people feel almost like they're outside.

But on sunny days, the windows can create glare or make glass buildings uncomfortably hot, which leads offices to jack up the AC and waste energy.

A new glass office building in West Philadelphia, called 3.0 University Place, aims to eliminate that issue. Its windows will tint automatically based on the level of brightness, letting the workers inside enjoy the view while saving electricity.

The 189,000-square-foot building, designed by The Steward Partnership, is set to be completed by the end of 2018. Much like light-adaptive lenses in glasses (better known as Transitions), all of the building's windows will have smart sensors that can detect sunlight and change color accordingly. The windows, which are made by SageGlass, can also be controlled using a remote.

The structure will hold offices for local companies, Michael Sheward, the firm's principal, tells Tech Insider. The team is still trying to find an anchor tenant, but Sheward says that several Fortune 500 Companies are interested.3.0 University Place will be the world's first commercial building to get LEED Platinum certification, meaning it will be highly eco-friendly, Sheward says. Platinum is the highest grade given by LEED, a third-party rating system administered by the US Green Building Council.

"This rating system is significantly more rigorous than previous versions with greater focus on energy savings," Sheward says.

On the building's roof, solar panels and wind turbines will be stationed to harness energy. The roof will also harvest rainwater, which will be purified for the building to use, and feature a garden and spaces to hang out.

In front of the building, there will be bike racks and preferred parking spaces for hybrid and electric cars.

3.0 University Place is part of a larger plan by its developers, University Place Associates (UPA), to build a series of LEED Platinum buildings in West Philadelphia, called the "Platinum Corridor."

2.0 University Place (UPA's first LEED-certified building) was built in 2013, and the next three - named 4.0, 5.0, and 6.0 - will feature green spaces, lighting, and public benches. The public areas will be designed by local urban planning firm StudioMusArx.

To build the corridor, the city is re-zoning an area of West Philadelphia, according to PlanPhilly. The new buildings will bring a more commercial feel to the neighborhood, Sheward says.

They'll also bring the city an unprecedented level of energy efficiency.

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