For glass openings, how big is too big?

Advances in glazing materials and glass building systems offer a seemingly unlimited horizon for not only glass performance, but also for the size and extent of these light, transparent forms. Both for enclosures and for indoor environments, novel products and assemblies allow for more glass and less opaque structure—often in places that previously limited their use.

Driven by two distinct influences, a new generation of glass building enclosures now has a unique trajectory—toward higher performance and sustainability. One of those forces is the work by building teams who effortlessly blend design analysis with the creation of novel system solutions. 

Thanks to data and analytics used routinely today to model and predict building performance, new and remarkably subtle approaches are being used to create facades and interior glass assemblies that allow more visible light transmission while reducing undesirable heating by direct sunlight.

This course provides an overview of optimizing commercial fenestration with thermal barriers and high performance glazing in aluminum window framing to maximize daylighting and thermal efficiencies in the building envelope.

Realizing sustainable, bird-friendly glass design

Glass has always been an idea generator. Now, it’s also a clean energy generator.

SOM and Fender Katsalidis are designing the project.

Energy efficient, healthy, and affordable: the predictable nature of seasonal daylight geometry makes it one of the first topics to be considered when undergoing any design project.