Light and Truth: Greener Interiors with Glass Partitions

Innovative applications for modular glass partitions, room dividers and doors provide effective pathways to modern interior trends.
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Sponsored by Space Plus, a Division of The Sliding Door Co.
C.C. Sullivan
An Early Use of Modular Partitions

The much-studied use of modular office walls at the 1997 Robert L. Preger Intelligent Workplace at Carnegie Mellon University helped popularize the benefits of glass walls and sliding doors for workplace design.

One goal of the workplace-interiors laboratory was to maximize the amount of available exterior window space for every inch of interior floor space. To do so, the creators of the space, Volker Hartkopf, director of Carnegie Mellon’s Center for Building Performance and Diagnostics, and architecture professor Vivian Loftness, specified sliding glass office doors so that daylight could penetrate the space into a central corridor.

The modular office walls were designed for a partial-height design, which meant that ventilation air and outdoor air from operable windows could reach all interior spaces. For improved acoustics, the designers used baffles and other techniques to ensure privacy for the office workers.

The workplace laboratory sits atop Margaret Morrison Carnegie Hall, a 100-year-old, neoclassical building on the college campus. “It's a living laboratory, continually being updated to feature advanced systems, components and materials,” according to the school. “And it's a lived-in laboratory, too — occupied by ‘real’ workers and organizations.”

Last, glass panels and sliders are available with a variety of frame finishes. Attention to finish toxicity and off-gassing may be important to IEQ and related LEED credits. In most cases a sturdy frame of aluminum or another metal will be ideal for commercial or high-end residential applications.

Green building. Sliding partitions bring a number of environmental advantages to new construction and renovation projects. The systems are portable and demountable, and they can reduce waste and promote a variety of approaches to living and working. The systems are composed of primarily aluminum and glass, materials that are commonly recyclable at the end of the product’s useful life. Yet their reuse is perhaps the greatest advantage in terms of green building.

In addition to being 100 percent reusable, sliding door systems and glass framed partitions are modular, and so the systems can be removed and reused in the same location or in other like spaces. This versatility supports and encourages the adaptability of workplaces, for example, as facility managers adjust partition layouts and open or close sliding and rotating walls as needed.

“Sustainability is all about problem-solving that improves design in a cost-effective manner,” says Schwartz. “Prefabricated and modular systems allow for flexible configurations for growing businesses as well as businesses looking to downsize.”

Green building advocates favor maximum daylighting as long as it is glare-free and has no significant negative effect on building energy performance. In general, access to outdoor views and daylight have been shown to enhance worker well-being, mood and morale. Sunlight and views have an effect on reducing absenteeism and even increasing worker productivity, though quantifying those effects has been the subject of some debate. In all events, it is a primary credit for LEED projects in the IEQ categories.

More than that, opening up the interior visually means that daylight harvesting, the term for using building controls and active daylighting to reduce the need for artificial lighting and energy consumption. By carefully specifying the transparency of dividers and panels, the architect can control glare and allow privacy while maximizing the availability of natural light through the spaces. Less electrical light is needed, cutting costs and improving visibility, too.

In addition, glass-and-metal partitions are demountable and reusable or recyclable. They do not need to be painted and are factory finished to meet high indoor-air-quality standards. They generally have simple maintenance needs and do not require harsh chemicals for cleaning. Specified with low-VOC finishes to protect air quality, the systems can benefit IEQ beyond their benefits to daylighting and exterior views.

Accessibility and universal design. Recently, the USGBC has begun an initiative to incorporate universal design in to the LEED rating systems. The Pilot Credit 34, Design for Adaptability, provides points for homes and midrise construction that must meet the Fair Housing Amendments Act – those with four or more residential units and an elevator. To earn the credit, building designs must have at least twice the number of accessible units required by code. Universal design for midrise construction must include core dwelling spaces and living areas on the accessible level, as well as:

  • A zero-step main entrance.
  • Accessible entry doorways with a minimum clear width of 32 inches, with room for maneuvering both inside and outside the doorway.
  • Accessible interior passage routes, with smooth, level floors and at least 36 inches of clear width to access building areas and living units.
  • Adaptable bathrooms with minimum clear floor space of at least 30 inches by 48 inches and fixtures that meet ADA accessibility criteria.
  • Accessible HVAC and lighting controls, located not lower than 15 inches from the floor and not higher than 48 inches.

The benefit of these features for sustainability is that by offering better access for all building users, the buildings themselves will be better suited for long-term use by more potential occupants.

While universal design is a social goal, accessibility is a legal requirement for buildings and interiors. Specific ADA requirements that affect manufactured glass-and-metal partition systems include accessible doors: In this case, the minimum clear opening width of 32 inches is measured from the face of the door (opened to 90 degrees) to the surface of the latch-side door stop or jamb surface. Doorways deeper than 24 inches must have a minimum clear opening width of 36 inches. However, for a building alteration, the clear opening may be reduced 5/8 inches, if structural elements preclude the minimum 32-inch clear opening.

For manual sliding doors, the architect must allow 48 inches of clear space for a front approach and at least 42 inches for a side approach. Adjacent flooring must have a smooth surface; any horizontal or vertical changes of level on the floor surface must be no greater than 1/16 of an inch. Any cavities created by added kick plates must be capped. Last, to meet ADA rules any moving partitions or sliding doors – common features of modular glass partition systems – must have a calibrated push pressure of 5 lbs. or less to meet ADA rules.

Door thresholds must be less than 1/2 inch in height. The threshold design must also meet ADA criteria for height, slope and exposed edge. For that reason, when a sliding door is used as part of a half-wall or full-wall mounted on the floor, the selected glass partition system should be on a track that is either be flush with the floor system or – to simplify removals and reinstallations – provided with a low, 3/8-inch ramp to ease movement and prevent a tripping hazard.

 

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Originally published in November 2013

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