
Historically, the material advantages of aluminum have resulted in its widespread application as curtain wall framing. But amidst the 21st century push for increased energy performance, aluminum is also characterized by problematic thermal properties and a high-embodied energy profile.
The PowerSkin Conference aims to address the role of building skins to accomplish a carbon neutral building stock.
Special guests Jennifer O'Connor from Athena Sustainable Materials Institute, Anthony Pak from Priopta, and Stacy Smedley from Skanska join us to discuss embodied carbon.
John Neary describes a collaborative Advanced design Studio at City Tech that involved Permasteelisa, Skanska and Onyx Solar, with links to the published student works.
Kintsukuroi, the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with powdered precious metal, is a practice of celebrating the life and history of an
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
The next PowerSKIN Conference will be held virtually in Munich on April 9th. The focus of the 2021 conference deals with the question of whether simplicity and robustness are in contradiction to good performance or whether they even complement each other: Simplicity vs. Performance?
While most of high-rise buildings feature a core surrounded by a spatial frame defining the volume, one could envision a column-free plan where the
Many prominent, recent buildings feature forms suggesting structural surface while their enclosures are really non-load-bearing curtain wall. At the
Life cycle assessment was introduced in the 1970s as an analytical tool to quantify the environmental impact of a product, process, or service.
Architects today must explore alternative enclosure materials to meet evolving energy codes and embodied carbon regulations. Terra cotta has been
Climate change goals will require significant improvements in the way buildings are constructed and operated. Building reuse can combat climate
Building envelopes are not only an immediately visible part of the building, they have also become a major factor both for cost and performance of
The building envelope is at the intersection of embodied and operational emissions. Curtain wall specifically could play an important role in
Facades are increasingly being recognized as a major contributor to whole-building embodied carbon. While designers know how to reduce the embodied