STRUCTURAL GLASS FACADES - USC School of Architecture

Chapter 2 - Materials, Processes, and Systems
2.1 Overview
There is a dynamic and vital interplay between the material scientists, producers, and the
building designers that use the materials in inventive ways. Sometimes design practice
evolves in a manner that begins to push the limits of available materials and processes,
presenting an opportunity for industry to respond to an emerging need. In this manner
design may drive the development of new materials technology. Often however, new
materials and processes emerge that only later find application in architecture, potentially
changing design practice and building form in the process. Sometimes there is a
considerable lag between the emergence of new materials and processes before they are
embraced in the building arts. As discussed in Chapter 1, engineer William Jenny discovered
the solution to high-rise steel framed structures by the late 19 th century, but in spite of the
new opportunity for architectural freedom presented by this development, designers still
clung to heavy looking masonry as the wall material. It was another 50 years before the
curtain wall cladding techniques made possible by Jenny’s discovery came into widespread
use.
There are many examples of this phenomenon in the history of building, and many causes,
entrenched interests and restrictive codes chief among them. Long before this, however,
such visionary architects as Louis Sullivan, Willis Polk, Walter Gropius, and Mies van der
Rohe had commenced their pioneering efforts that showed the way to following generations
of designers. Good designers understand the importance of a design methodology rooted in
a deep understanding and exploration of materials and processes, providing a foundation
that will both inform and inspire the design.
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