Vacant Target store in Minnesota turned into early childhood education center

Lincoln School, a former 90,000-sf Target retail store in Fergus Falls, Minn., was repurposed into Independent School District 544’s newest campus.

Lisa Heschong, FIES, discusses her books, "Thermal Delight in Architecture" and "Visual Delight in Architecture," with BD+C's Rob Cassidy. 

Tubular system provides daylight for modular school with small windows.

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.

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.

Novel concepts in glass and glazing are opening new vistas in the buildings world. From massive openings and bent panels to decorative finishes and integrated smart technologies, a cornucopia of glass innovations have been hitting the market in recent years. A review of new projects and recent product introductions gives an idea of the astounding range—and a few key lessons to live by—in today’s institutional and commercial sectors.

Realizing sustainable, bird-friendly glass design

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