Making Windows Work

I’d mentioned a couple weeks back that I was working on a pretty neat article about solar energy. It seems that more designers, and glass manufacturers for that matter, are learning how to make their windows work for them. For instance, this link on today’s USGNN.com™ newsletter disccuses how store windows are “emerging as a new kind of billboard business.” Who needs to look through the glass when you can watch an advertisement on it?

We’ve made so many demands of glass in recent years, and it seems to be getting more complicated all the time. It’s no longer just enough for it to provide the perfectly clear view to the outside, let in natural light (while keeping out the heat, naturally), clean itself, etc., but now it also has to produce energy and keep us entertained.

And consider this incredible project that makes its glass products do both. By day, the Greenpix Zero Energy Media Wall in China uses its 20,000-square-foot glass-clad wall to soak up the sun—to produce enough energy to project videos at night.

That’s a lot for one product to accomplish. In researching my article on solar energy, it seemed incredible to me that glass could perform as highly as we’ve come to expect, and still be effective in these new roles.

But as Vince Van Son, commercial manager of Sustainable Solutions for Alcoa Building and Construction Systems, explained to me when we recently spoke, “building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) systems do not require the architect and building owner to give up or compromise other desired building features. Rather, BIPV systems can be complementary to the current and emerging demands of building owners, their occupants and society.”

I bet concrete manufacturers wish their product was this versatile!