STRUCTURAL GLASS FACADES - USC School of Architecture

cable net provides important flexibility needed to respond to changing pressure differentials
between the cavity and the inside and outside air pressures.
In another example, the terminal building for the new Bangkok Airport designed by
Murphy/Jahn Architects is the 2 nd largest building enclosure in the world, and is essentially a
glass box with 120 ft (36.6m) vertical glass walls and a largely glass roof spanning overhead.
The project involved Werner Sobek as engineer and Mattias Schuler, a climate consultant.
The design incorporates many interesting features aimed at improving the energy
performance and comfort provided by the enclosure, including deep overhangs around the
perimeter, an exterior louvered canopy cladding to encourage ventilation, an exterior trellis
structure over the roof glass to restrict direct solar penetration, and an in-floor radiant cooling
system. (Mukerji 2007)
This is an exciting area for future research. Designers, building owners, even the public,
have become accustomed to large glass-clad light-filled architectural spaces and are
reluctant to give them up in spite of the potential for increased security threats and poor
energy performance. It is up to the design community in close collaboration with industry
suppliers to develop high performance solutions to these problems. The pressure for
performance is already yielding innovative new materials and design techniques.
There is also an educational component to this aspect of the technology. Many of the design
techniques being applied to improve performance are not new, especially the passive design
strategies such as the use of deep overhangs as noted above. These techniques were
articulated in the 1970’s and earlier (indeed, this was part of the vernacular of indigenous
architecture in many hot climates), but are being rediscovered by a new generation of
designers looking for solutions to energy performance issues.
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