STRUCTURAL GLASS FACADES - USC School of Architecture

Chapter 4 - Precedents; Design Guidelines,
Design and Teaching Tools,
Learning Resources
Design guidelines, tools and learning resources can play an important role in facilitating the
diffusion of innovative technology in a market by enabling potential adopters to acquire a
base competency in utilizing the new technology. There is little or nothing in the way of
existing design guidelines or teaching tools, and no centralized resource dedicated to
structural glass facades. The author is aware of no book or website dedicated to structural
glass façade technology, although examples of structural glass façade projects have been
included in published material and websites. There are very few companies currently
specializing in this technology, providing very limited resources to aspiring users (see
Chapter 1.3.6). There may be an opportunity to employ learning programs and design aids
to considerable affect in this context. The following is a brief review of some relevant tools,
methods and techniques, including some examples drawn from technology or disciplines
loosely related to structural glass facades. The purpose here is to identify the broad classes
of learning-aides that can potentially enable groups of adopters and facilitate the diffusion of
innovative technology into a broader market.
Note that the trend is for these various formats and methods to converge into a multidimensional
program around a subject matter of interest. Book projects often start out as
websites; a website can be quickly constructed to accommodate and present book material
as it develops, and can provide useful input into how the material is being received. The
website often becomes a repository for reference information, tools, news, tutorials, and links
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