32 results

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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)

  • The Scope of the Structural Glass Design Manual

    <p>The technology of glass now allows glass to be fabricated in sizes and structural configurations not previously conceivable. The standards and…

  • EVA Interlayers in Hardened Facades

    <p>Explosions can result in very high loads of extremely short durations. Protective design to mitigate the effects of blast loading requires façade…

  • 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

  • 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

  • Skin Deep: Health, Wellness, and the Facade System

    Here we are, a full year after the initial COVID-19 surge rocked the United States. It’s hard to believe we’ve been living through the pandemic for a full year at this point; and yet it also feels like it’s been multiple years. We are beginning to see glimmers of hope on the horizon as more people..

  • Episode 01: Passive House

    The Facade Tectonics Institute is pleased to launch our long-awaited podcast, starting with Episode 01: Passive House, a moderated discussion between Lois Arena, Director of Passive House Services at Steven Winter Associates and Spencer Culhane, Senior Building Envelope Specialist at Schüco USA.

  • 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

  • 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

  • Lightning Protection as Building Envelope featured image

    Lightning Protection as Building Envelope

    <p>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