feature WINDOWS
Dynamic Glass Shines In Sun Or Shade Smart glass is clean, green, and energy efficient while providing design options. Lou Podbelski, Sage Electrochromics Inc.
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veryone loves glass, and architects go to great lengths to maximize its use. Glass creates sleek facades. It gives building occupants an office, patient bed, or classroom with a view. It delivers abundant natural light that makes occupants happier, healthier, smarter, and more productive. That light also generates free heat in the winter and saves money on artificial lighting. After we design in all that wonderful glass, what do we do? We turn around and cover it back up. We choke off the natural light with expensive solar controls to minimize heat gain and glare. We install mechanized shades, blinds, and awnings. We put architectural fins or louvers on the exteriors of buildings. While these appurtenances do their job— reducing solar heat gain in a building—they are expensive to install and maintain. They hamper glass cleaning. And, considering all the materials, transportation, and operational energy they consume, they needlessly expand a building’s carbon footprint. That’s a real concern for architects, contractors, and building owners striving for a truly sustainable building. Another method of reducing solar heat gain is to permanently tint the glass, which blocks the sun and, consequently, the view. Either way,
What appears to be a source of potential daylighting overkill—a full wall of windows—actually comprises dynamic, or smart, glass, which can be tinted at the touch of a switch or even automatically.
the building has lost the light it was designed to embrace, defeating the purpose of the windows.
Another way Fortunately, new technology gives us another way. Dynamic glass or, by its more technical name, electrochromic glazing, is the latest and perhaps most dramatic advance in daylighting in recent years. It finally lets us live in harmony with light. Dynamic glass lets natural light pour in when it’s wanted. When it gets to be too much, the glass dynamically changes its tint. It works with the touch of button, or, when tied to a building’s energy-management or automation system, activates automatically in response to environmental conditions. While it blocks out glare and keeps things comfortable, occupants stay connected to the outdoors because the glass always remains transparent. A dynamic solar-control solution, such as SageGlass from Sage Electrochromics Inc.,
Faribault, MN, offers numerous advantages over traditional options, such as standard, static glass with solar control add-ons and windowless monolithic walls. Prior to its invention, there was no practical, energy-efficient way for architects to provide natural daylight and an outdoor view, while simultaneously controlling glare and solar heat gain.
Let the sun shine in Daylighting is a fancy word for letting natural light into a building. Many studies show that daylighting and outdoor views improve worker productivity, job satisfaction, and employee retention. Patients in healthcare facilities heal faster, need less medication, and have morepositive outlooks. In schools, natural daylight and views have been shown to significantly improve student performance, health, and overall attitude. With this in mind, architect Ryan Benson of
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JAN/FEB 2012
COMMERCIAL BUILDING PRODUCTS
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