Glass Spandrels and Shadow Boxes
Glass spandrels are a common design strategy utilized to opacify floor levels in building facades. These opaque glass assemblies are integrated into…
57 results
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Inside the Box
The trend towards modular and unitized facades continues to grow in popularity due largely in part to the efficiencies gained in terms of cost and
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Talking Trees & Timber: In Buildings, Facades and Urban Habitat
Okay, okay; I have a tree-thing going on. This issue was supposed to be about green facades, but it morphed on me as I laid it out. But here’s the thing: if you don’t have a tree-thing going on, you should. I read The Overstory (graciously reviewed here by our Val Block) followed by a viewing of...
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Elliptical Ways
Construction projects almost invariably encounter a critical stage at the moment of handover between the designing and the executing party. At this… -
Verifying Thermal Performance
Architects specify curtain wall thermal performance criteria and usually identify simple modeling software, like THERM, to perform thermal analysis
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Vintage Vinyl
Mid-century through 1980’s buildings with lock-strip or “zipper-gasket” glazing systems are an ever present part of the urban landscape in many
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Thinking About Facades
There have been three decades of liberating developments in the application of descriptive geometry and freeform design methods, as well as the
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Terracotta 1912 to 2018
Center Three is a 100-year-old, one million square-foot building in Long Island City, New York that was constructed over the course of one year. It… -
Teaching Facades
As facades become more sophisticated and complex, more detail-intensive and performance-critical, it's vital that architecture students develop a… -
Shadow Box Design
Shadow boxes are commonly used in curtain wall construction, but can be problematic if not designed and detailed correctly and appropriately for the
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Seismic Movements
A common building upgrade to add value to existing commercial real estate is the renewal of the entrance lobby. The lobby facade is replaced to give
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Renewing Two Saarinen Icons
Kresge Auditorium and the MIT Chapel, designed by Eero Saarinen and built in 1955, are both world renowned works of architecture and powerful symbols
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Performance Criteria for Museum Enclosure Design
This paper develops a framework of considerations for the development of project specific performance criteria for the design of art museums and… -
Hybrid Timber
This case study provides an overview of building hybrid curtain wall system and future opportunities for the use of timber. It will also review the… -
Hardened Facades Effects on Structural Systems
To ensure the safety of U.S diplomatic personnel overseas, the U.S Department of State (DoS) has developed facade retrofits capable of resisting high… -
Glazed Spandrels
Recent years have seen an increased use of insulated glazing units in spandrel applications to visually blend the appearance between the vision and
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Glass and Electromagnetic Eavesdropping Protection
Glass is a key component in building design. Benefits of utilizing Insulating Glass Units (IGUs) within a building facade are well understood,
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Fully Tempered Glass in Spandrel Applications
Recent years have seen an increase in the use of insulated glazing units (IGUs) in spandrel applications to visually blend the appearance between the
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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
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Facade Wind Loading
Wind induced pressure is a major design consideration for building facades. However, the effects of facade geometry and urban terrain on wind loading