32 results

  • The Great Spandrel Glass Debate

    <p>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…

  • Balustrade Design Loads

    <p>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…

  • A Structural Glass Design Manual

    <p>Other than limited special cases, there is a lack of standards providing guidance on the design of structural glass. This has resulted in an…

  • Glass Balustrade Design

    <p>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

    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 featured image

    Control Tower Glass Design

    <p>ASTM published the first version of ASTM E2461-05: Standard Practice for Determining the Thickness of Glass in Airport Traffic Control Tower Cabs…

  • Laminated Security Glazing

    <p>Glass is an essential component for any type of building. Its transparency enhances daylighting and provides occupants a view to the outside.…

  • More Than a Facade featured image

    More Than a Facade

    <p>In 2014, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) approved the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI) as an accredited ANSI…

  • 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 featured image

    When Facades Kill

    <p>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…

  • Subjective Perception and Objective Measurement featured image

    Subjective Perception and Objective Measurement

    <p>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 featured image

    Fire Safety in High Rise Exterior Facades

    <p>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 featured image

    EUI of Building Clusters

    <p>Large master planned developments such as Battery Park City in Manhattan, Mission Bay in San Francisco, and Playa Vista in Los Angeles were built…