Blog 1. Part 1.

How Skylights & Roof Glazing Systems Can  Enhance Architectural Glass Facades 

When specifying Roof Glazing Systems, the first thing you’ll probably think about is how your Skylights, Glass Bridges or Flooring will look once they’re installed. This is certainly an important aspect to consider – after all, the appearance of your Architectural Glass Facade is critical. But you will also need to analyze the glass performance criteria of these Glazing Units to ensure they serve their purpose well. 

When thinking about the Building Energy Efficiency, it’s easy to focus on cool loss through individual elements and forget the wider picture. It is true that U-value often become the headline figures in a glass specification, but they are not the sole barometer of Retractable roofs. Residential Skylights or Glass Floor performance.

Minimizing the leakage of cool air from a building is a fundamental part of Glass Facade System design and specification, but it is not achieved by low U-value alone. The regulations aim to achieve broadly the same thing: high levels of energy efficiency and low carbon dioxide emissions. It used to be possible to specify Aluminum Frames that performed poorly, offsetting it through the inclusion of renewable technology very inefficient.

More recent regulatory updates have effectively moved focus toward Structural Glass Facade high performance. Generally speaking, buildings are designed to last – look at the age of some of the properties we occupy, and also consider that 80% of the buildings standing today will still be with us in 2050. Technology will continue developing, achieving greater efficiency over longer service lives, but highly efficient Building Envelopes delivers for the life of the building.

Get the glass façade performance wrong and the building will be saddled with it from the outset. A right architectural design first approach, on the other hand, makes life easy for a building’s owners and occupants. They reap the benefits of natural light and low energy bills, with minimal maintenance required. 

During construction, it may appear as if the Retractable Roof System design and specification has been followed to the letter. However, if insulation or glazing is badly installed, or glass system airtightness not properly addressed, then the finished building will leak cold, feel draughty, fail to achieve what the calculation results suggest, and risk damp and condensation.