STRUCTURAL GLASS FACADES - USC School of Architecture

Transparency (and control): Highest inherent transparency. Daylight control is problematic;
interface systems such as louvers and awnings are difficult to support from the net. Daylight
control may be limited to the glass or such passive design features as overhangs.
Geometric flexibility: Geometry considerations are relatively constrained. Flat nets are
geometrically simple, anticlastic nets quite complex. Geometry of anticlastic nets must be
carefully considered in terms of modularity and symmetry or little repetition in glass sizes can
result, increasing complexity. Also, certain geometric configurations can result in warping
forces imposed on glass cladding.
Design issues: Generally problematic in accommodating attachment and loading of add-on
components (integrated sunshades, canopies, louvers, pv systems). Entryways are typically
constructed as portal frames structurally isolated from the net. Cable-supported facades,
especially double-curved nets, involve considerable complexity in both the design and build
efforts; for these reasons, it is beneficial to involve both design and construction expertise as
early in the design process as possible.
Form-finding: Again, the flat nets are simple, the anticlastic nets complex. The actual form of
an anticlastic surface is a function of cable properties, boundary stiffness and cable
prestress; form finding analysis is required to determine the shape (see form-finding
discussion in 6.1.2.3).
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