Nature and Nurture: The Sustainable Benefits of All-Glass Operable Double-Wall Systems
Full wall exposure to the outdoors allows the design professional to employ numerous daylighting strategies for daylight harvesting. Designers can open up the entire wall to a balcony to capture the views as well as extend daylight far into the interior. When used in the interior of a building, all-glass operable wall systems can provide transparency between rooms. This design strategy allows the occupants in offices or classrooms to share in the view to outdoors as well as receive the benefits of additional natural daylight.
An Open Air Living Room |
The Seattle, Washington, firm of Gelotte Hommas believes that design should be about beauty, form, rhythm, place, materials and light. The designers of the Seattle Homes & Lifestyles Home of the Year paid attention to these attributes when developing the plans for Casa Del Sol, a 6000sf home on the water. By glazing both the interior wall of the home as well as providing an all-glass exterior wall on the porch, the homeowner was able to take advantage of the views and changing light on the lake from dawn to dusk.
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The weather will not damage the furnishings in this open-air living room enclosed by all-glass operable wall systems in Washington State. Photo courtesy of Gelotte Hommas Architects |
The building was sited to be part of its natural surroundings. The architects designed this home as a place of refuge and a place of prospect. Using all-glass wall systems they have created a vantage place to observe the world. Numerous glass wall systems throughout the house open rooms into each other and blur the boundaries between indoors and outdoors. Custom glass panels railings rise to form windscreens that shelter the covered patio. The master suite is wrapped in glass on three sides to take advantage of the tremendous views.Â
Environmental Psychology and Human Comfort
Environmental psychologists are learning that exposure to natural materials can make a difference in building design. Researchers are finding that the health effects of exposure to nature include lower blood pressure, fewer colds, faster recovering from illnesses, greater focus, creativity and better concentration on task performance. One of the first documented effects of nature on human health was a landmark study by Roger Ulrich, Ph.D., professor at Texas A&M University and a fellow at the Center of Health Systems in Design.10 In 1984, hospital patients who had a view of a park rather than of buildings were shown to have shorter recovery time and reduced demands for pain medication. According to Ulrich, "This highlighted, along with other evidence in the emerging field of mind-body medicine, the need to consider a broader picture, including physical environment, of factors that affect patient outcomes and the health of patients." Over the past 20 years, other studies have proven that the cost of providing views of gardens and nature was an investment in faster patient recovery.
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Light, airy and energy efficient. this active double skin Façade saves energy. Photo courtesy of NanaWall Systems Inc. |
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Today's psychophysiologists are studying the autonomic nervous system and the environment using evidence-based design. Researchers are finding that:
- Humans innately prefer moderate levels of complexity.
- Humans prefer to control their environment.
- Humans prefer open spaces and views-they want to be sheltered as they observe nature.
- Humans have an innate response to natural stimuli that include light, fire, flowers, mountains, clouds, etc.11
This innate response and attraction of humans to nature is driving the growing biophilic design movement. As humans now spend more than 85 percent of our time indoors, the challenge to design professionals is how to bring the benefits of nature to indoor environments. Humans need access to the change in weather, light, the seasons and the complexity of the natural environment for greater performance and better health.
As a design strategy, using all-glass operable glass window systems is a means to respond to this new understanding of human behavior. With larger windows, clear unobstructed views of nature and the ability to control fresh air, designers can deliver healthier indoor environments. Creating a dual skin envelope or creating a second space between the inside and outside of a building allows for both added thermal performance as well as increases the comfort and well being of its occupants.
| ENDNOTES | |
| 1 | http://architecture2030.org/the_problem/problem_energy |
| 2 | http://www.architecture2030.org/files/2030Blueprint.pdf |
| 3 | http://faculty.une.edu/cas/szeeman/GK-12/articles/ViewsofNature.pdf |
| 4 | Poirazis, Harris. Double Skin Facades for Office Buildings, Literature Review Division of Energy and Building Design Department of Construction and Architecture, Lund Institute of Technology Lund University, 2004 |
| 5 | http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=evaluate_ performance.bus_portfoliomanager_carbon |
| 6 | http://pacenow.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/Market-Sizing-Reference-for-NCEP-PACE-Mtg_2009May143.pdf |
| 7 | http://www.staegrund.de/downloads/Staewog_Zeitung_Maerz_2010_web.pdf |
| 8 | http://dspace.cc.tut.fi/dpub/bitstream/handle/ 123456789/6765/hilliaho.pdf?sequence= |
| 9 | http://www.irbdirekt.de/daten/iconda/CIB11652.pdf |
| 10 | http://www.hfma.org/Templates/Print.aspx?id=18744 |
| 11 | http://www.woodworks.org/files/PDF/Presentations/SE-Schools-w-wood-Sept-2010/Fell.pdf |
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| The NanaWall is an operable glass wall system custom designed for large openings. The elegant, precision-engineered NanaWall meets the most challenging architectural specifications. The custom made NanaWall is available in aluminum, wood or clad frames with a selection of over two hundred colors. Independent testing confirms that many NanaWall systems meet or exceed industry standards for air infiltration, water penetration, thermal performance, forced entry, acoustic and hurricane requirements. www.nanawall.com |
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