Glass surfaces on buildings are becoming larger while architects are realising ambitious visions characterised by transparency, space and natural light. Simultaneously, energy efficiency is being actively researched. How can the glass industry help in finding new applications for glass?
“By involving architects more extensively in discussions and product design,” responds Mr. Jens Schneider, Professor of structural engineering at the University of Applied Sciences in Frankfurt, Germany.
“The glass industry needs design and branding. Compared to many other industries, the marketing of glass remains rather conservative. Sales are still based on square meters – not brands. Why not appoint teams of promising architects to focus on product design? There are plenty of design items in our homes: water taps, shower cabins, furniture. Or consider an Apple laptop. It is a regular product with regular functions, but it comes in an attractive package, design. It is the design that makes so many of us want to own one.”
New ideas and ways of doing business
Glass Performance Days, GPD, provides a forum for cooperation between people involved in the design, manufacture and use of architectural glass. “I would describe it as a symbiotic exchange of information and ideas in order to gain a better understanding of the big picture. By providing opportunities for open discussion and cooperation, GPD can influence the glass industry and act as a catalyst for developing the market structure and new ways of doing business.”
In addition to wonderful opportunities, there are also threats in the market, and these must not be ignored. “In the worst case scenario, efforts towards greater energy efficiency in buildings may lead to a reduction in the use of architectural glass. This scenario should be discussed, and new ways of retaining glass as an essential material in buildings should be developed.”
Architects are invited to present their projects at the GPD 2009 Architect Forum, in which Mr. Schneider will act as co-chairman. “The Architect Forum includes workshops, which bring small workgroups of university and industry people and architects around the same table to exchange information and find solutions to specific problems. While industry professionals and researchers know what is technically possible, architects can influence the use of glass in buildings. By doing this, we seek to cross borders and increase understanding on a wider level, thus making room for the creation of something new.”
Better awareness needed
Looking back, it is amazing to see how much glass has developed in a relatively short time, just a couple of decades. U-values of glass have improved, and advanced glass coatings have been introduced. Mr. Schneider remarks that these are huge development steps, even if their magnitude is not visible.
“Progress creates major marketing and communications challenges. To someone unfamiliar with glass technology, almost any glass looks like plain glass. People may be aware that they have double-glazed windows in their houses, but they may still not know that the glass is coated. Progress in glass technology is a good thing and can affect our lives and environment in many ways. That is why the public should be informed about it. Indeed, the processes that enable advanced features in glass are not simple. While the glass industry may have taken progress for granted, regarding steps forward as simple issues, neither the processes nor the products are in fact simple or self-evident, even if most glass producers are able to supply them.”
Focus on energy efficiency
Thanks to better U-values and advanced coatings, even buildings with large glass surfaces are energy efficient. “There are still many other areas in which feasible solutions for better energy efficiency can be found. At the moment, most regulations focus on controlling how much heat escapes from a building. In addition, research should focus on how to protect buildings from heat coming from outside, in order to reduce the need for air conditioning. Another interesting area involves finding ways of using windows and facades in the generation and recovery of heat. I believe that solutions will be found and realised within a few years.”
Adjustable glazing
The operation of adjustable glazing is based on layers, integrated into laminated glass. The colour of the layers can be adjusted according to the prevailing weather conditions. A few glass companies already have their own brands available, but these brands have not been widely adopted - mainly due to high costs.
Adjustable glazing could provide a solution, particularly for large office buildings. Such buildings use high amounts of energy for cooling heat radiation from outside as well as heat generated by office machines and lights. Glazing, whose shade could be changed gradually instead of simply switching the shade on or off, would be ideal. “Finding a suitable technological solution is a challenge, but the design point of view must not be left aside either. For example, gas has been used between glass sheets for changing the shade of glazing. From a design point of view, this was undesirable, since the glass became yellowish over the course of time.
Innovative features help overcome physical limits
Triple glazing is taking U-values to a new level. A U-value of less than 1 – 0.8 is possible with triple glazing, while with double glazing without coating a value of around 3 is achievable, and with single glazing a value of 6. Considering U-values only, glass could be said to have met its physical limit. According to Mr. Schneider, this limit can be superseded using innovative features: “Replacing air with a vacuum in multiple glazing is being researched. Preventing the glass sheets from sticking to one another is one of the challenges that researchers are facing in this respect. Still, I am convinced that, in a few years, vacuum glazing will an option in the architectural glass market.
Intelligent solutions based on glass
Mr. Schneider would like to see advanced features and functions integrated in an intelligent building: “Facility management and control would be handled via an Internet type interface. The best mix of functions and settings in order to achieve the best possible energy efficiency could be chosen.” Smart windows could be controlled according to the amount and angle of sunshine at different times of the day.
Facades would be used for energy production by means of integrated photovoltaics (BIPV). Photovoltaic elements could be developed to be less visible, which might increase their use in glass facades.
“Introducing strategies for utilising heat collecting technologies could provide new opportunities for the glass industry. Solar collectors could be used more in areas with high levels of sunshine. Due to durability and easy cleaning, glass is an ideal material for these. This could open up new opportunities for companies specialising in solar equipment only.”
“Another aspect would be new technologies, new open software and new automation tools to ensure communication across the interfaces between the different elements of the façade (glass, louvers, openers, BIPV, …) and the technical infrastructure of the house (heating and cooling, lighting, air conditioning,….) using an integrated building automation process.”
Mr. Jens Schneider has 20 years of experience in glass. Before his career at The University of Applied Sciences in Frankfurt, he was employed by an engineering office in Stuttgart, Germany, which cooperated with companies involved in solar energy and innovative architecture. Along with his involvement in conferences in structural engineering, he has attended GPD as a speaker in 2001 and 2005, presenting cases involving innovative glass facades, glass roofs, and other references in which glass has been used as the only structural element. He has also worked as a speaker at the Glass Processing Academy, a forum for Glaston’s internal training.
Niccoló Baldassini, Director of RFR in France
Glass innovation has characterized the development of RFR since the very first project of the Bioclimatic Greenhouses of La Villette. With our constant ambition of going beyond the state-of-the-art in a spirit of innovation it is extremely relevant for us to participate in the Glass Performance Days. This we prefer to do with a team of 2-3 specialists to enable us to make the most of the occasion, says Niccoló Baldassini, Director of RFR in France.
RFR brings a unique approach to the process of innovation
Innovation cannot be done by "ad hoc" but has to be continuously cultivated, Niccoló Baldassini emphasizes. Several factors are critical to the management of innovation: research activity, project development, feedback resulting from realized solutions, and, finally, the knowledge of the current state of the art. It is important to be aware of the latest developments, so that new projects do not start from scratch but can take advantage of know-how developed by the architecture, engineering and research communities.
GPD a key source of information
Conferences are especially important as they allow us to have knowledge of developments at a much earlier stage than technical magazines and books, which report information according to longer delay, says Niccoló Baldassini. Conferences allow us to focus on the subjects in which we are interested and have the complete and original core of information without interpretation. We attend many events, but GPD is, for us, the primary congress about glass, and we have participated on a regular basis for many years. GPD is particularly relevant because it treats all subjects about glass, from automotive to architecture. The information exchange scheduled between glass makers and solar specialists is of particular interest at the 11th GPD in view of the fast growth of solar applications and the role of glass as a key component in solar solutions.
Even though we work in the field of architecture, we are interested in the development of other sectors, which we observe carefully. This allows us to transfer technologies and feed our projects with fresh concepts in keeping with our innovative spirit. Another important quality of GPD is that it attracts all of the relevant actors in the profession and provides us the possibility of directly contacting people who are otherwise difficult to reach or to meet. The mixture of attendees is always interesting, and it is inclusive of all of the categories of professionals: colleague-designers, researchers, university representatives, façade makers, glass manufacturers and processors. There is something new at every GPD and this time special emphasis has been put on information exchange between glass and solar specialists. The hands-on approach to this module including workshops and processing experiencees promises something very special for the building of new competitive advantages. GPD is also a place to meet friends developed during the past years of professional work and continue the informal debates within the profession.
Effective information sharing
RFR specialists have been actively engaged in the role of GPD as speakers.
As we are interested in the dialogue about glass, we believe it is important to make our contribution to this discussion so that others can benefit as we do ourselves, Niccoló Baldassini says. The success of glass architecture depends on the contributions of all who are willing to share their knowledge. This exchange of experience creates a basis for future work.
RFR, founded by the late Peter Rice, works in the field of advanced engineering and special structures design including light-weight structures, tensile structures, and long-span footbridges. Within this wide range of competences, glass engineering has been one of RFR´s core activities since the early days of the company. Early projects were based on the development of new technologies such as the "rotule". Development at RFR has maintained this spirit of innovation. RFR’s ambition has been the continuous mastery of the process of innovation which lead to the design of new challenging double curvature glass envelopes such as the Strasbourg TGV Station New solutions have continuously been developed for façade and transparent roof design that are adapted to the evolving demands of architects and coherent with contemporary architectural trends.
