STRUCTURAL GLASS FACADES - USC School of Architecture

6.1.2.3 Design Considerations
Aesthetics
Each of the different structural types, while sharing many common attributes, possesses a
unique general aesthetic. Here the aesthetic attributes that characterize the systems are
identified.
Transparency (and control):
The pursuit of maximum transparency in the building envelope has been a primary driver of
structural glass façade technology, although by no means the only one, and the relative
importance and manifestation of transparency varies widely between projects. The result in
any case has been an increasing generalized dematerialization of structure, achieved largely
through an increasing predominance of tensile bracing elements in closed, rigid systems,
and the open systems comprised mostly or completely of tensile elements. More and more,
however, the control of transparency as a means to control daylight is becoming the
predominant concern, not simply the maximization of transparency with no thought to issues
of thermal performance and glare. As a primary attribute of glass itself, the consideration of
structure transparency is nonetheless relevant. Here the systems characterized as having
the least and most generalized transparency will be identified, with the remaining systems
classified in comparison to these and each other.
Geometric flexibility
This consideration involves the relative ability of the various structure types to accommodate
curves, folds, and other surface geometry. Structural glass façade technology enables a
remarkably broad vocabulary of form for the designer. There are however, important
differences between the system types that comprise the technology. This criterion is a
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