Sustainability and Large Openings that Contribute to Well-Being

Studies of building performance and human comfort indicate that humans need exposure to daylight, fresh air and nature in order to maximize performance. Numerous rating systems, including the USGBC LEED® program, credit building designs that meet a variety of criteria for daylight and natural ventilation. There are many sustainable design advantages to providing large, flexible openings in buildings. These include the following.

• Access to Daylight: Large glass panels allow a lot of natural daylight into buildings during the day. Large ground-to-ceiling panels remove the barriers from inside to outside. By using more glass, the indoor comfort of these daylight zones is increased. Studies have shown improvements in test scores, absenteeism and healing when buildings provide greater daylight access.

• Efficient Lighting: Daylight perimeter zones reduce electrical loads in a building. Natural daylight can provide adequate task lighting when properly shaded from glare. An integrated lighting design for a high-performance building can include lighting sensors paired with large openings to reduce the electrical loads.

• Space Maximization: Large glass doors that can open into new spaces create new places. They optimize the use of interior and exterior spaces. In addition large doors provide the following benefits:

o Fresh air: With a large glass door, space becomes big enough to let in large surges of air providing cooling and improved air quality. In some climates, large openings can improve energy efficiency by reducing the need for air conditioning in the summer months.

o Maximized views: When a large glass door is used, the natural surrounding becomes a part of the property. The view of the outdoors will be available 365 days a year.

o Increased occupancy: Restaurants can increase their seating capacity in the summer months while keeping the weather out in the colder seasons.

The Triple Bottom Line and Large, Energy-Efficient Openings

According to the Building Managers and Owners Association (BOMA), a high-performance building uses integrated building processes that enhance performance. A high-performance building operates at a higher level with lower costs. A sustainably designed high-performance building also responds to the triple bottom line of people, planet and profits. These buildings can meet the challenges of environmental design that also provides a good return on investment by using smart design and technology that increases the durability of the building and provides energy savings. High-performance sustainable buildings require an integrated design process that requires components that are durable, easy to maintain and meet energy codes. These buildings deliver a good return on investment. They provide life-cycle benefits measured both numerically as in energy savings as well as psychologically as in client, staff and customer satisfaction.

There are many advantages to providing large glass openings to the outdoors but until lately, the disadvantages far outweighed the benefits. New thermally broken high-performance glass openings have provided more opportunities for sustainable design. These openings can have doors that pivot, slide and disappear to create new places that engage the public. These systems can deliver enhanced building energy performance and increase human comfort.

In 1949, Philip Johnson designed and built his glass house as a statement about nature and existence. In this building, nature flows into the structure to create an illusion of shelter without walls. Since the construction of that seminal Modernist building, many architects have been striving to achieve this similar aesthetic without sacrificing comfort or creating buildings with large energy footprints. With older glass wall systems, sitting next to the window in the winter could mean adding an extra layer of clothing. In the summer, the glare and heat transfer also made this seating equally uncomfortable.

Fortunately, the latest thermal break technology has enabled designers to have more design flexibility for large door openings. They can meet many design criteria for green building credit rating programs such as the United States Green Building LEED® program, Green Globes, BREEAM, the Living Building Challenge or the new Passive House Standard by optimizing access to fresh air, daylight and views of nature. Large glass openings specified with high-performance materials support sustainable design goals by providing increased energy efficiency while optimizing comfort. Innovations in streetscape design and neighborhood planning are part of the new urban placemaking movement and the ability to open up facades to the sidewalk with operable walls and windows creates more lively downtowns.

Architect Celeste Allen Novak, FAIA, LEED AP (www.celesteallennovakarchitect.com) specializes in sustainable design and planning in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She is the author of "Designing Rainwater Harvesting Systems: Integrating Rainwater Into Building Systems."

Designed and manufactured in Las Vegas, Panda’s glass wall systems are backed by a quarter of a century of architectural design and engineering experience. Panda has the flexibility to support your architectural vision and tailor complete door systems to exacting specifications. http://www.panda-windows.com/