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 …
73 results
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The Thermal Blanket Concept
This paper tells the story of a Double Skin Facade (DSF), where high performance and multi-disciplinary collaboration saves a library concept of open…
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Terra Cotta Skins
This paper will address the potential of ornamental architectural terracotta surfaces to mitigate the effects of climate fluctuations that will creat…
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Put Your Sweater On!
During the particularly cold first months of 1977 President Jimmy Carter, in what some call “The Sweater Speech,” famously noted how much energy coul…
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Hydrophobic Stainless Steel Surfaces
There is no doubting the longevity of stainless steel building facades. The Chrysler Building and numerous buildings that followed have stood the tes…
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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) low…
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Curved Forming Panel Facades
The performative and visual aspects of curved forming/bending thin “formable” planar materials is explored. Early tests for deflection indicate that …
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Saving Face
In 1871, a fourth level Architecture course was offered in New York City that instructed on topics such as heating, ventilation and circulation of wa…
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Climate-Oriented Prefabricated Building Envelopes
Facades developed in response to climactic factors increase performance and human comfort while reducing energy loads. A single building envelope wil…
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Integrated Energy Analysis
Energy codes across the country are progressively getting stricter and increasing the threshold for a baseline building’s energy performance. Califor…
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Thermal Performance of Closed Cavity Facades
Closed cavity facades (CCF), a configuration of Double Skin Facade (DSF), consists of a double-glazed unit on the inner layer and single glazing on t…
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Carbon Lean Facades
With net zero and carbon neutral mandates on the near horizon, New York City has pushed the green building envelope by leveraging incentive-based pro…
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Green Façade/Roofs Design Tool
Climate change and related thermal issues, draw attention to the impact of green facades and roofs on energy savings and thermal comfort. Besides, by…
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Novel Active Facade Systems and Their Energy Performance in Commercial Buildings
This article presents results of a research study that focuses on understanding energy performance of novel facade systems that integrate thermoelect…
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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 citie…
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A Compact, Unitized Double Skin Facade
Driven by an increasing demand for high thermal and acoustic performance, transparency, and low maintenance costs, a number of facade innovations hav…
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Shaping Skin
The conventional modern facade is essentially flat, which creates the tendency toward visual monotony and problems for modulating daylight—both on th…
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Sustainable Retrofit Strategies for an Existing Laboratory Building
This paper analyzes sustainable retrofit strategies for an existing research laboratory building, located in a cold climate. This facility is compose…
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Highly Efficient Façades with Innovative Shading and Light Control
The Science and Engineering Complex (SEC) on the Allston Campus is the largest new building at Harvard University in recent decades with a footprint …
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Designing with Photovoltaics
Photovoltaics (PV) have been utilized in buildings for decades, especially in Europe where legislative support has largely driven the market. With ne…