The Great Spandrel Glass Debate
As we change the rules of thermal performance for facades, we are changing the conditions the glass is subject to in shadow boxes and glazed spandrel…
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Balustrade Design Loads
A review of balustrade practices from around the world, and why practices in United States and countries using ICC code/ASCE 7 designs are failing to
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A Structural Glass Design Manual
Other than limited special cases, there is a lack of standards providing guidance on the design of structural glass. This has resulted in an ad-hoc… -
Glass Balustrade Design
Glass handrail design in the United States lags behind best practice in other parts of the world. There can be as much as a factor of four (4)
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The Scope of the Structural Glass Design Manual
The technology of glass now allows glass to be fabricated in sizes and structural configurations not previously conceivable. The standards and codes
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EVA Interlayers in Hardened Facades
Explosions can result in very high loads of extremely short durations. Protective design to mitigate the effects of blast loading requires façade
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Control Tower Glass Design
ASTM published the first version of ASTM E2461-05: Standard Practice for Determining the Thickness of Glass in Airport Traffic Control Tower Cabs in
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Laminated Security Glazing
Glass is an essential component for any type of building. Its transparency enhances daylighting and provides occupants a view to the outside. Whether… -
More Than a Facade
In 2014, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) approved the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI) as an accredited ANSI Standards
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When Facades Kill
The tragic fire of June 14, 2017 at the Grenfell Tower in London, England has brought to a very public global forum issues related to the impact of
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Subjective Perception and Objective Measurement
Current glass industry standards provide clear tolerances for readily quantifiable physical properties to assist with the evaluation of visual… -
Specifying Commercial Aluminum Finishes
Many factors will influence coating selection, but to achieve the desired performance level for a given situation, coatings must be specified based… -
Silicone Spandrel Glass Opacifiers
Curtain wall design commonly uses insulating glass units for vision and spandrel glazing to provide better visual harmonization of building facade
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Lightning Protection as Building Envelope
A building’s envelope mitigates the effects of meteorological phenomena – including lightning – upon the structure and its occupants and contents.… -
Fire Safety in High Rise Exterior Facades
One of the most complex yet least understood areas where fire can spread is at the perimeter of a building. Fire can not only spread from… -
EUI of Building Clusters
Large master planned developments such as Battery Park City in Manhattan, Mission Bay in San Francisco, and Playa Vista in Los Angeles were built
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Deconstructing the Window
Over the years, the industry has relied heavily on the increasing performance of low-e coatings to drive window U-factors (thermal transmittance)
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The Seismic Capability of Curtainwalls
The testing of aluminum/glass curtainwalls for seismic capability, mainly inter-story drift, has been carried out on many curtainwalls over the last… -
Fire Safety and Code Challenges for Mass Timber in Curtain Wall Systems
With the desire for more sustainable construction and reduced embodied energy, mass timber is being explored for building structures. For medium and
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U-Factor Matters in Hot Climates
It is commonly thought that fenestration U-factor is not a key determinant in the performance of facades in hot climates, and generally the focus of…