Practical information on designing sustainable, energy-efficient building facades

As energy and other natural resources are being depleted, it has become clear that technologies and strategies that allow us to maintain our satisfaction with interior environments while consuming less of these resources are major objectives of contemporary facade design. Sustainable Facades focuses on the strategies and approaches for designing sustainable, high-performance building facades, and provides technical guidance for architects and designers.

This timely and useful guide presents strategies and technical guidelines for designing environmentally sensitive, energy-efficient facades based on scientific principles. It provides climate-specific approaches for minimizing energy consumption, analyzes the thermal behavior of different facade systems and materials, and illustrates with case studies how these approaches have been implemented on architectural projects. It also discusses emerging facade technologies, materials, and systems.

Topics covered in this unique and indispensable guide include:

• Climate-based design approaches for high-performance facades
• Characteristics of sustainable facades: energy efficiency, thermal behavior, and moisture resistance
• Designing for thermal comfort, lighting and glare control, and acoustic quality
• Emerging technologies in facade design, including smart materials, double-skin facades, and facades as energy generators
• Case studies on building orientation and facade design, tectonic sun exposure control, external shading elements, and more

CH 1 Climate-Based Design Approach for Facades

1.1 Climate Classifications and Types

1.2 Climate-Specific Design Guidelines for Facades

1.2.1 Environmental Considerations and Design Criteria

1.2.2 Design Strategies and Climate

Chapter Summary

References

CH 2: Characteristics of Sustainable Facades

2.1 Energy Efficiency

2.1.1 Orientation

2.1.2 Fenestration

2.2 Facade Types and Materials

2.2.1 Opaque Building Facades

2.2.2 Glazed Building Facades

2.3 Materials and Properties

2.3.1 Properties of Facade Materials and Components

2.3.2 Embodied Energy of Materials

2.4 Thermal Behavior and Moisture Resistance

2.4.1 Control of Heat Transfer and Air and Moisture Movement

2.4.2 Steady State Heat and Moisture Transfer Analysis for Opaque Building Facades

2.4.3 Hygrothermal Analysis for Opaque Building Facades

2.4.4 Heat Transfer Analysis for Glazed Building Facades

Chapter Summary

References

CH 3: Designing for Comfort

3.1 Thermal Comfort

3.1.1 Methods of Measurement

3.1.2 Facade Design and Thermal Comfort

3.2 Daylight and Glare

3.2.1 Daylighting Strategies

3.2.2 Glare

3.3 Acoustic Comfort

3.4 Air Quality

Chapter Summary

References

CH 4: Emerging Technologies in Facade Designs

4.1 Emerging Materials and Technologies

4.1.1 Advanced Facade Materials

4.1.2 Smart Materials

4.2 Double-Skin Facades

4.2.1 Double-Skin Facades in Hot and Arid Climates

4.2.2 Double-Skin Facades in Cold Climates

4.3 Facades as Energy Generators

4.4 Control Systems for Facades

Chapter Summary

References

CH 5: Case Studies

5.1 Building Orientation and Facade Design

5.1.1 Arizona State University Interdisciplinary Science & Technology Building

5.1.2 Center for Urban Waters

5.2 Tectonic Sun Exposure Control

5.2.1 Kuwait University College of Education

5.2.2 King Abdullah Financial District Parcel 4.01 Building

5.2.3 King Abdullah Financial District Parcel 4.10 Building

5.3 External Shading Elements

5.3.1 University of Texas Dallas Student Services Building

5.4 Facade Materials and Wall Assemblies

5.4.1 Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences

5.4.2 St. Elizabeths Campus West Gatehouses

Appendix 1: Case Studies Index

Appendix 2: Figure Credits

Figure Credits ix

Acknowledgments xi

Introduction xiii

Chapter 1 Climate-Based Design Approach for Facades 1

Climate Classifications and Types 3

Climate-Specific Design Guidelines for Facades 8

Environmental Considerations and Design Criteria 8

Design Strategies and Climate 9

Chapter Summary 14

Chapter 2 Characteristics of Sustainable Facades 17

Energy Efficiency 18

Orientation 19

Fenestration 24

Facade Types and Materials 40

Opaque Building Facades 40

Glazed Building Facades 48

Materials and Properties 54

Properties of Facade Materials and Components 54

Embodied Energy of Materials 62

Thermal Behavior and Moisture Resistance 66

Control of Heat Transfer, and Air and Moisture Movement 66

Steady-State Heat and Moisture Transfer Analysis for Opaque Building Facades 69

Hygrothermal Analysis for Opaque Building Facades 74

Heat Transfer Analysis for Glazed Building Facades 79

Chapter Summary 83

Chapter 3 Designing for Comfort 85

Thermal Comfort 86

Methods of Measurement 87

Facade Design and Thermal Comfort 91

Daylight and Glare 95

Daylighting Strategies 95

Glare 109

Acoustic Comfort and Air Quality 115

Acoustics 115

Air Quality 118

Chapter Summary 119

Chapter 4 Emerging Technologies in Facade Designs 121

Emerging Materials and Technologies 122

Advanced Facade Materials 122

Smart Materials 126

Double-Skin Facades 135

Double-Skin Facades in Hot and Arid Climates 141

Double-Skin Facades in Cold Climates 143

Facades as Energy Generators 149

Control Systems for Facades 153

Chapter Summary 155

Chapter 5 Case Studies 157

Building Orientation and Facade Design 159

Arizona State University Interdisciplinary Science & Technology Building 159

Center for Urban Waters 167

Tectonic Sun Exposure Control 178

Kuwait University College of Education 178

King Abdullah Financial District Parcel 4.01 Building 186

King Abdullah Financial District Parcel 4.10 Building 200

External Shading Elements 211

University of Texas Dallas Student Services Building 211

Facade Materials and Wall Assemblies 218

Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences 218

Appendix Case Studies Index 227

Chapter 2 228

Case Study 2.1: Vincent Triggs Elementary School, Clark County Elementary Prototype (Las Vegas, Nevada) 228

Case Study 2.2: Hector Garcia Middle School (Dallas, Texas) 228

Case Study 2.3: Kendal Academic Support Center, Miami Dade College (Miami, Florida) 229

Chapter 3 229

Case Study 3.1: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Environmental Health (Atlanta, Georgia) 229

Chapter 4 230

Case Study 4.1: Princess Nora Bint Abdulrahman University for Women Academic Colleges (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia) 230

Case Study 4.2: Tinkham Veale University Center, Case Western Reserve University (Cleveland, Ohio) 230

Chapter 5 231

Interdisciplinary Science & Technology Building, Arizona State University (Tempe, Arizona) 231

Center for Urban Waters (Tacoma, Washington) 232

Kuwait University College of Education (Shadadiyah, Kuwait) 232

King Abdullah Financial District Parcel 4.01 Building (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia) 233

King Abdullah Financial District Parcel 4.10 Building (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia) 233

University of Texas Dallas Student Services Building (Dallas, Texas) 234

Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences (East Boothbay, Maine) 234

Index 235