73 results

  • The Seismic Capability of Curtainwalls featured image

    The Seismic Capability of Curtainwalls

    The testing of aluminum/glass curtainwalls for seismic capability, mainly inter-story drift, has been carried out on many curtainwalls over the last…
  • The Evolution of AEC Professional Silos featured image

    The Evolution of AEC Professional Silos

    Healthcare projects in northern California require specialized knowledge to navigate regulation, technological advancements, and project execution…
  • Silicone Spandrel Glass Opacifiers featured image

    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…
  • U-Factor Matters in Hot Climates featured image

    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…
  • From Design to Experiment

    Flat cable-net facades are form-active structures which provide maximum transparency by means of point fixing components, tensioned cables, and

  • Carbon Lean Facades featured image

    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…
  • 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…
  • Passive House Facade Design and Construction

    Buildings account for over 40% of global emissions (GlobalABC, 2018). Growing populations and higher standards of living are increasing pressure on

  • Combustible Cladding

    When it comes to the subject of building enclosure in Australia, one topic has eclipsed all others in recent years: combustible cladding. It has even

  • Tool For Facade Inspection Traceability

    Building façade inspections have multiple objectives, such as forensic investigation of a failure, maintenance code compliance, etc. Architects,

  • Translation from Concept to Construction

    Fidelity between the built enclosure and early visualizations is rarely, if ever, an accident. When achieved, it comes as the result of persistent

  • Managing Constraints featured image

    Managing Constraints

    On a commercial high-rise tower project located in Hong Kong, the design team was challenged to make a facade that would beneficial to tenants with a…
  • Seismic Movements

    A common building upgrade to add value to existing commercial real estate is the renewal of the entrance lobby. The lobby facade is replaced to give

  • A Burning Question Revisited

    In recent decades the use of unitized glazing systems has become increasingly common especially for high-rise construction. The opaque panels in

  • Insulating Glass Unit Gas Loss

    Concerns over time-dependent argon permeation through the perimeter edge seals of insulating glass units (IGUs) led the authors to utilize two…
  • Blast Performance of TSSA featured image

    Blast Performance of TSSA

    Architectural preferences for commercial building continue towards increased transparency resulting in large lites of glass with minimal visual…
  • Prefab Facades – from Prototype to Product?

    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

  • Wind-Borne Debris Impacts on Façades

    Climate change effects are causing an increase in extreme wind events’ frequency and severity, worldwide. Regions that previously were not prone to…
  • Inside the Box

    The trend towards modular and unitized facades continues to grow in popularity due largely in part to the efficiencies gained in terms of cost and