View, Inc. (commonly known as View) is an American technology and building-materials company specializing in electrochromic “smart glass” and smart windows. The company’s core innovation allows architectural glass to automatically adjust its tint in response to sunlight levels. This dynamic capability helps regulate heat gain, reduce glare, and manage daylight while preserving clear outdoor views.

Founded in 2007 under the name Soladigm, the company rebranded to View and commercialized its dynamic-glass technology. It became a prominent player in the emerging sector of intelligent building materials.

Current Status: View is no longer a publicly traded company. Following a Chapter 11 restructuring process completed in 2024, it emerged as a privately held entity with a new ownership structure.1

The company describes its mission as transforming buildings through technologies designed to enhance occupant health and experience while lowering energy consumption and carbon emissions.

At its core, View manufactures windows capable of electronically altering their light transmission. Traditional architectural glass has fixed optical properties, often requiring supplementary solutions such as:

• Clear or tinted glass;
• Blinds or curtains;
• External shading devices;
• Window films.

View’s approach utilizes electrochromic glass, which transitions between relatively clear and darker states when an electrical signal is applied. This enables a building’s facade to respond dynamically to changing environmental conditions.

For example:

• Morning: Relatively clear state to maximize daylight.
• Strong midday sun: Darker tint to block excessive heat and glare.
• Afternoon: Adjusted tint based on sun angle.
• Cloudy conditions: Lighter state to admit available natural light.

The objective is to provide natural daylight and unobstructed views without allowing excessive solar heat and glare into the interior. View integrates this glass with electrical controls, networking infrastructure, and software management systems.

2007 — Foundation

View traces its origins to Soladigm, a Silicon Valley startup founded in 2007 to commercialize electrochromic glass technology. The fundamental concept was to shift architectural windows from being optically static components to dynamically controllable elements. This positioned the company at the intersection of several industries, including:

• Glass manufacturing;
• Nanotechnology;
• Electronics;
• Building automation;
• Energy efficiency;
• Architecture.

As interest in energy-efficient buildings grew, the company attracted significant venture and strategic investment.

2012 — Soladigm becomes View

In November 2012, Soladigm announced a corporate name change to View, Inc. and stated that its commercial-scale dynamic-glass product was ready for global deployment.2 This marked a pivotal moment for the brand, shifting its perception from a technology startup to a commercial architectural-products provider. The new name, View, reflected the broader proposition that buildings should offer occupants abundant natural light and unobstructed views while mitigating the negative effects of direct sunlight.

2012 onward — View Dynamic Glass

The company’s first major commercial product was View Dynamic Glass. This offering was not merely a piece of tinted glass but a comprehensive technological system incorporating:

1. Electrochromic glass;
2. Wiring;
3. Controllers;
4. Networking;
5. Software;
6. Algorithms for tint control.

View described each glass panel as having an IP-addressable location, allowing individual panes to be controlled via the network infrastructure. This distinction highlights that View was selling an intelligent building-window system, rather than just “smart glass.”

The underlying technology is electrochromism, where materials change their optical properties when an electrical voltage is applied. In View’s system, a thin proprietary electrochromic coating is integrated into the glass assembly. Historically, View described this coating as approximately 1 micrometer thick.3

When the system receives an electrical command, the glass modulates its light transmission.

Simplified Concept

• Clear State: More visible light enters the building.
• Dark State: Less solar radiation enters the building.

The system modulates:

• Visible light;
• Infrared radiation;
• Ultraviolet radiation;
• Solar heat;
• Glare.

The goal is to manage solar energy intelligently while preserving the view outside.

View’s product consists of multiple technological layers:

5.1 Electrochromic Glass

The physical window component, featuring an electrochromic layer that alters optical characteristics.

5.2 Insulating Glass Units (IGUs)

The smart glass is incorporated into standard insulating glass units used in architectural applications.

5.3 Electrical Infrastructure

Connections and control equipment required to power the glass panels.

5.4 Networking

Infrastructure allowing individual windows or groups of windows to be addressed and controlled remotely.

5.5 Software

Algorithms determining when and how the windows should change tint based on environmental data.

5.6 Sensors and Automation

Sensors that detect environmental conditions such as sunlight intensity, enabling automatic adjustments. Later iterations emphasized AI and automated control within a broader smart-building platform.

View primarily operates in the B2B architectural and commercial-building market. Its technology has been installed in various sectors:

Offices

Large corporate spaces use smart windows to control glare and solar heat while maintaining visual connections to the outdoors.

Hospitals

Daylight and views contribute to patient recovery and staff well-being; smart glass manages these factors without compromising thermal comfort.

Airports

Terminal buildings with extensive glazed facades utilize the technology to handle substantial solar exposure.

Hotels

Integrated into guest rooms and common areas to enhance the guest experience.

Universities and Schools

Used in educational facilities to optimize daylighting in classrooms while controlling glare.

Multifamily Residential Buildings

Applied in apartment complexes and residential developments.

View has reported installations across offices, hospitals, airports, educational facilities, hotels, and multifamily residences.4

Beyond manufacturing glass, View evolved into a broader smart-building technology company. The vision involves windows acting as one component of an intelligent ecosystem combining:

• Smart glass;
• Network infrastructure;
• Software;
• Building controls;
• Occupant experience platforms.

This positioning places View in competition not only with traditional glass manufacturers but also with companies involved in building automation, energy management, IoT, and workplace technology. Corporate descriptions have referred to the offering as a smart buildings platform.

Over time, View expanded its offerings beyond basic dynamic windows to include:

View Smart Glass

The core electrochromic glass system.

View Smart Windows

A complete window product integrating smart-glass technology.

Smart Building Platform

Cloud-connected infrastructure and software surrounding the physical products.

View Smart Building Technologies

Additional technologies aimed at connecting building infrastructure and improving occupant experience.

Filings described Smart Glass as the core product, alongside other smart-building technology offerings.

View’s brand positioning differs significantly from conventional glass manufacturers. While traditional companies emphasize strength, insulation, appearance, and price, View emphasizes:

• Technology;
• Health;
• Experience;
• Sustainability;
• Intelligent buildings.

The brand sits at the intersection of architecture, technology, sustainability, and wellness. This appeal resonated with architects and developers interested in next-generation building envelopes.

Design Philosophy

The company promotes the idea that windows should be active components of a building rather than passive openings.

• Traditional Model: Building envelope → fixed glass → occupant adapts to sunlight.
• View Model: Building envelope → intelligent glass → glass adapts to sunlight.

In this framework, the window functions closer to a building-control device.

Sustainability is central to View’s historical proposition. Buildings consume significant energy through heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and lighting. Large glass facades can increase cooling loads due to solar heat gain. View argues that dynamically controlling solar radiation reduces this load.

The company marketed smart glass as a technology addressing:

• Occupant comfort;
• Daylight optimization;
• Energy efficiency;
• Carbon emission reduction.

However, real-world energy savings depend heavily on climate, building orientation, HVAC systems, window area, controls, occupancy patterns, and operational strategies.

Going Public

View went public in March 2021 through a merger with CF Finance Acquisition Corp. II, a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC). Following the transaction, View traded on Nasdaq under the ticker VIEW, with warrants trading as VIEWW. The company described the move as providing a public-market platform to expand its smart-window and smart-building business.

Today, View operates as a privately held smart-building technology company centered around dynamic architectural glass. Its core proposition remains using intelligent glass to control sunlight, heat, and glare while preserving daylight and views. The company continues to market smart windows and associated technology, including software and mobile applications for controlling installations, supporting functions like user control, tint scheduling, and scenes.

View operates in an industry involving manufacturers and tech companies working on dynamic glass and smart-building systems. Key competitors and alternatives include:

• SageGlass (associated with Saint-Gobain);
• Halio;
• Kinestral Technologies;
• Traditional architectural-glass manufacturers developing dynamic products;
• Conventional alternatives such as blinds, shades, films, and low-E glass.

The strategic question for building owners is whether dynamically controlled glass offers greater value than conventional glass combined with mechanical shading and building-control systems.

While smart glass offers sophisticated functionality, it introduces additional complexity in manufacturing, electrical installation, and control-system maintenance compared to traditional solutions.

Strengths

1. Technological Differentiation: Combines materials science, electronics, networking, and software.
2. Architectural Proposition: Manages glare and heat without obstructing views or closing blinds.
3. Sustainability Narrative: Aligns with green-building goals regarding energy efficiency and carbon reduction.
4. Premium Positioning: Positioned as advanced building technology rather than commodity material.
5. Integration Potential: Fits into broader smart-building ecosystems.

View represents a transition in architecture where building materials become intelligent. By moving from passive glass to programmable windows that sense conditions and respond to optimize the environment, View contributes to the movement toward programmable buildings. While fundamentally a physical building-products business, its value proposition encompasses human comfort, natural light, views, workplace experience, and building aesthetics alongside climate benefits.

1. View, Inc.
2. view-20211231
3. view-20230930
4. View – Apps on Google Play
5. PwC Quits Audits of Troubled ‘Smart Window’ Maker View Inc.
6. VIEW INC. Chapter 11 Bankruptcy (Case 24-10692
7. Window-Maker View to File for Bankruptcy to Reduce Debt
8. View, Inc. Reaches Agreement with Cantor Fitzgerald and