Slipping through the Cracks
We construct building enclosures to keep the elements out, but sometimes air and water infiltrate the building envelope, causing several problems for…
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HydroSKIN
Building envelopes cover a considerable part of the urban exterior surfaces, and to therefore have a significant leverage effect on the climate… -
Evaluating The Environmental Performance Of Stick Curtain Wall Systems
The construction industry is one of the greatest sources of pollution, where 39% of global energy-related carbon emissions are attributed to
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Sculptural Facades
In the vein of mass production, manufacturers leverage repeatable parts and modular construction in an effort to maximize quality control while… -
ACT Facade
Due to material and technological advancement during the last century, transparency has become a prominent trend in contemporary architecture.
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The Versatile Envelope Garden
Facades play an integral role in defining the experience of modern life. As rising populations gravitate from rural to urban communities, they bring
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Thermal Comfort Assessment of Multi-Zone Electrochromic Window
Access to natural daylight and connection to the outdoor environment is one of the key elements of contemporary architecture. This design concept is… -
Daylighting Parametric Workflows Used for Adaptive Reuse
Daylighting & Solar Glare control, which affect both the energy consumption of the building as well as the comfort of the occupants, become
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Fire Safety and Code Challenges for Mass Timber in Curtain Wall Systems
With the desire for more sustainable construction and reduced embodied energy, mass timber is being explored for building structures. For medium and… -
Renewing Historic Facades
As the first phase of a $4 billion dollar, 180-acre, 60 building government preservation project in Washington DC, this case study reviews the
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Edge Lighting Glazing with Hidden Fixtures
Dynamic architectural lighting in urban areas is a key element in creating attractive nighttime icons in addition to potentially generating
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Influence of Performance and Design of Structural Silicone Joints on the Resilience of Curtain Wall Units Exposed to Seismic Impacts
Facade failure due to seismic event represents a potential hazard to people and can cause serious damages to buildings with consequent high-cost… -
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
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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… -
Transformation as Movement
In 1888 the art historian Heinrich Wölfflin proposed the notion that the primary characteristic of baroque architecture is the illusion of movement.… -
Thermal Bridging and Building Facades
Thermal bridging through building façades have been overlooked by designers and building energy codes and standards in the past, which has led to
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Addressing Embodied Carbon
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the building sector is critical to limiting global temperature rise to less than 1.5⁰C. Construction and… -
Modern Heritage and Facade Improvements
Approximately 80% of our total building stock is from the 20th century. During the last decades, along with an increasing appreciation of modern… -
Consistency In Glass Design
Glass structural elements have become increasingly common to the point of ubiquity; however, there currently is no universally recognized and
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Contextual Envelopes
Aesthetic and technical capabilities of facade design have become seemingly endless as building technologies progress. While the capacity to address…