advanced building skins 14 | 15 June 2012 - lamp.tugraz.at - Graz ...

Advanced Building Skins
Furthermore, the frame size capable to carry a glass facade unit is multiple times smaller than the
potential textile facade panel. While glass units are typically limited to approximately 1-3 m x 3-5 m
(3-10 ft x 10-16 ft), a textile unit is limited by the transportation requirements, allowing spans of even
4.5 m x 10-13 m (15 ft x 32-42 ft) for unitized or off-site tensioning systems, and more for stick-built
or on-site tensioning systems. In addition to reducing the number of panels at installation, a larger
panel size means fewer framing members applied the facade, further reducing material usage.
The last item for consideration in the reduction of resource consumption is a minimization of profile
material. If the framing member section can be reduced to a minimum, a large amount of material can
be saved when applied over large surfaces. This is embodied in the careful detailing and engineering
of the profile (discussed later).
2.4 Recoverability
The recoverability of the materials used in the facade is another important aspect of the advanced
facade. Recoverability can be broken into three different types – recyclability, reusability, and
repurposability. Recyclability is the capability of a used material to be applied once more with its
original properties and function, while requiring less energy input in its remanufacturing process than
its original manufacturing. Reusability is the capacity of a used material to be applied in the same way
or material state as before, while requiring cleaning and/or physical modification or cutting in order to
remove unwanted matter. Repurposability is the capacity of a material to be remanufactured with little
energy input in order to form a material with a different purpose and material state than its original one.
See Figure 5 for a visual understanding of these three definitions; notice that not all materials are
recyclable or reusable; however, all are repurposable.
RECOVERABILITY
MATERIAL
RECYCLE
REUSE
REPURPOSE
STONE METAL GLASS BRICK CONCRETE WOOD PLASTIC TEXTILE COMPOSITE
BROKEN
FOR USE AS
GABBIONS
CRUSHED
FOR USE AS
AGGREGATE
NON-
TAINTED
LOW-
AESTHETIC
QUALITY
APPLICATION
LOW-
QUALITY
METAL
NON-TAINTED
OR WITHOUT
COATING
MONOLITHIC
OR LOW-
QUALITY
APPLICATION
CRUSHED
FOR USE IN
GLASSPHAULT
OR MELTED
FOR USE AS
INSULATION
PREVIOUSLY
USED
WITH LIME
MORTAR
CRUSHED
FOR USE AS
AGGREGATE
MATERIAL
- 5 -
CRUSHED
FOR USE AS
AGGREGATE
WOODCHIPS
OR
COMPOSITES
Figure 5: Materials Recoverability Analysis [5]
NON-
TAINTED
SHORTER LOW-
LENGTH QUALITY
APPLICATION APPLICATION
PLASTIC
BOTTLES,
BAGS,
ETC.
WITHOUT
COATING OR
WITH SIMILAR
COATING
MATERIAL
GRINDED
POWDER
FOR USE IN
CEMENT
CHOPPED STRAND
(LOW OR NON-
STRUCTURAL
APPLICATION)
GRINDED
POWDER
FOR USE IN
CEMENT
Metals, as well as plastics and glass, are completely recyclable in theory, but there must be no
contamination of the material. As applied to facades today, glass is not recyclable - the coatings