STRUCTURAL GLASS FACADES - USC School of Architecture

Material Suppliers and Subcontractors
A challenge in delivering innovative building design and technology can be finding qualified
suppliers and subcontractors to facilitate the construction phase of the project. The newer a
technology is the greater the likelihood of this being a problem. Because of this there is
some correlation between this criterion and that of maturity as discussed above. At the risk
of some redundancy, this will be discussed as a distinct criterion.
Glass System Interface
The various glass and glass system choices can be mixed and matched to the structure
types identified here with considerable freedom. Relevant considerations with respect to the
different systems will be identified here.
Durability and Maintenance
The materials that comprise structural glass façade technology are all prime materials with
long life expectancy in normal applications. Differences do exist however, between the
systems. Lifecycle and lifecycle maintenance considerations will be identified and discussed
here.
Sustainability
Discussions of sustainability often ignore the important aspect of contextual appropriateness.
A technology incorporating high performance materials and processes may not be
sustainable on a widespread basis, but may be quite sustainable on commercial office and
public buildings as a feature element. Certainly structural glass façade technology is
sustainable in some appropriate context.
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