Featured Project Commercial Window Film Fixes Glare at Eagan Office A receptionist sitting near a newly built two-story glass entryway was getting headaches every morning and had started wearing sunglasses at her own desk. The glass looked great after a building renovation, but the sun pouring through it made her workspace nearly unusable for part of the day. Interstate Companies, a business with roughly 200 to 300 employees in an industrial park off Pilot Knob Road in Eagan, Minnesota, had recently completed a renovation that added a large glass vestibule and a two-story curtain wall at the main entry. The glass rose about 25 to 26 feet to the ceiling, and even though the face was oriented mostly north, the longer days brought early sun angling in from the north-northeast directly onto the reception desk. Solar Shield was brought in to reduce that glare and solar heat without losing the look of the new entry. The job also came with an access problem: nobody could confirm what the vestibule glass could structurally support, which ruled out standard lift equipment. Key Takeaways THE CHALLENGEMorning sun on an unrated two-story glass vestibule was causing headaches and glare at a receptionist's desk, with no safe lift access to the upper rows of glass. THE INSTALLSolar Shield built a custom plywood platform on the vestibule framework and installed LLumar Vista Celeste V18 film across the curtain wall. THE RESULTThe film cut roughly 80% of the glare hitting the reception area, giving the space a comfortable, usable feel without covering up the new glass entry. Commercial buildings can generally support a more aggressive tint than homes, since offices are occupied mainly during daylight hours and don't need to account for evening visibility the way a residence does. Given the receptionist's headaches and the amount of white wall and shiny flooring bouncing light around the room, Solar Shield recommended a darker film than a typical home install to bring the glare down to a manageable level. Reaching the glass safely, without damaging the new vestibule, was just as important as picking the right film. Project Summary Client Profile: Interstate Companies, a commercial office building Project Location: Eagan, Minnesota Primary Objective: Reduce glare and solar heat at a two-story glass entry through Commercial Window Tinting Film Specification: LLumar Vista Celeste V18, an 18% light transmission film applied by a Llumar Select Pro Dealer Key Outcome: Reduced glare by an estimated 80% at the reception desk while keeping the entry's glass look intact Two-Story Glass Creates Glare Problem The renovated entry at Interstate Companies used floor-to-ceiling glass in a vestibule and curtain wall that ran the full two stories of the building, roughly 25 to 26 feet up to the ceiling. Even on a face that was predominantly north-facing, the longer days brought the sun around to the north-northeast at sunrise, sending direct light and heat straight onto the receptionist's desk. The room's white walls and shiny floor made the problem worse by bouncing that light and glare around the space rather than absorbing it. The receptionist was getting headaches and wearing sunglasses at her own desk, and the solar load in the room was substantial enough that the company decided to address it directly rather than live with it. Building a Custom Access Platform Before any film could go on, Solar Shield had to solve an access problem. Nobody could provide engineering documentation on what the vestibule glass could safely support, and no available lift could reach every row of windows; a knuckle lift could get to the top row but would strike the vestibule glass on the way down to the row below it. With lifts ruled out, the crew built a floor on top of the vestibule using its own framework, screwing down two-by-six boards on 16-inch centers and topping them with three-quarter-inch plywood, anchored to outside supports strong enough to hold the weight of installers and scaffolding. For the side sections, the crew used a narrower lift, about 30 inches wide, that fit between the stairway and the platform so installers could work side by side. Once access was solved, Solar Shield applied LLumar Vista Celeste V18, an 18% light-transmission film, choosing a more aggressive tint than a typical Residential Window Tinting project because the building is occupied almost exclusively during daytime hours. That balance let the crew push the glare reduction further than they might on a home, where nighttime visibility matters more. Comfortable, Glare-Free Reception Space The finished install cut approximately 80% of the glare that had been hitting the reception desk. The V18 film still allows a portion of daylight through, so the space reads as bright and open rather than dark, while the harsh reflection off the white walls and floor is noticeably reduced. With the front entry complete, Interstate Companies now has the option to extend the same approach to other sections of the building's glass. Solar Shield structured the project so it could be tackled in phases, giving the facility a working example of the difference the film makes in one section before deciding how much of the rest of the building to cover with the same Commercial Window Film approach. Need Glare Relief for Your Building? We've spent decades solving access and glare problems on commercial buildings across the Twin Cities, from standard storefronts to two-story curtain walls that no lift can reach. Whatever the layout of your glass, we can usually find a practical way to get film on it. Dealing with glare, heat, or headaches at a desk near a big window in Eagan or the surrounding metro? Reach out and let's talk about a fix. Solar Shield, Inc.6161 Egan Drive, Savage, MN 55378Call 952-226-2000 or Schedule Online Frequently Asked Questions How much glare did the window film reduce at this Eagan office? The LLumar Vista Celeste V18 film installed at the Interstate Companies entry cut an estimated 80% of the glare hitting the reception area. The film allows 18% light transmission, which still lets in plenty of daylight while significantly reducing the harsh reflection off nearby walls and flooring. Why did Solar Shield build a platform instead of using a lift? No engineering documentation existed for the glass vestibule, and no available lift could safely reach every row of the two-story curtain wall without striking the glass below it. Solar Shield built a custom plywood platform anchored to the vestibule's own framework to reach the upper windows safely. Can commercial buildings use a darker window film than homes in Eagan? Yes. Commercial buildings are typically occupied only during daytime hours, so a more aggressive tint can be used without the nighttime visibility trade-offs that residential customers often weigh. That balance allowed Solar Shield to recommend a stronger glare-reducing film for the Interstate Companies entry than it might suggest for a home.