STRUCTURAL GLASS FACADES - USC School of Architecture

much as 20-30 percent. Thus, it is critical for the designer to begin cost analysis in parallel
with conceptual design development, thus providing this vital input as part of the decisionmaking
process. The goal is to balance the program requirements and design intent for the
façade with the budget objectives in a manner to achieve the most economical solution for a
given problem. Structural glass façade technology is capable of delivering solutions to a
broad range of budgets; the body of completed works includes examples ranging from less
than 100 to over 500 USD/ft² (750 to 3700 EUR/m²). 9
In addition, the relative costs between the systems will vary to some extent as a function of
the application. While a glass fin-supported wall may be cheaper then a cable net at shorter
spans, this may not be the case with longer spans. This makes establishing costing
guidelines between the systems challenging at best. For this and other reasons, the strategy
here is to establish a base level with the structure type that most frequently provides the
most cost effective solution to the broadest range of problem. The simple truss system will
be the base case. The other systems will be treated as a multiple of the base case.
Span and complexity are most directly related to cost, regardless of structure type; the
longer the span and the more complex the design the higher the cost. Figure 6.1 indicates
the relative inherent complexity of the predominant structure system types; cost will bear the
same general relationship. These are very general guidelines intended only to provide a feel
for the relative cost between the systems, and are in no way intended as a substitute for a
rigorous estimating program started very early in the design process.
9 The currency conversion from USD to the Euro equivalent was made in the March 2008
timeframe, a time in which the USD was falling rapidly against the Euro. Use the USD values
indicated here to calculate a current conversion to the Euro.
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