Empowering the construction industry to build for the future through education & standardized Passive systems. #RunWildBuildPassive
With this article, we cover two very important aspects of glazings: light transmission and the solar heat gain coefficient. These parameters are extremely important for performing buildings and passive houses, however they are often overlooked by both designers and window manufacturers.
We continue our series of articles on thermal efficiency of windows, describing the glass edge thermal bridge. As far as thermal bridges go, this one is inevitable, and it represents the weakest point of a well designed thermal envelope. It needs to be analyzed carefully, in order to prevent condensation (or ice) to form on the edge of the glass, discomfort, and an overall drop in the performance of the window/door.
After covering thermal transmittance U and resistance R of opaque assemblies, and insulated glass, we now cover one of the most critical areas of the thermal envelope: window frames. Good windows are the cornerstone of a performing building for both comfort and energy efficiency, specially if it is a passive house.
Last week we went to Nuremberg, Germany, for the 2016 edition of FensterBau, one of the most important expos worldwide for window production. Target of the fair is the entire sector of windows and openings. The event is organized alongside the Holz-Handwerk expo, addressing wood carpentry in the broadest sense.
A couple of weeks ago, we took part to the 2016 edition of the Passive House Window Talks. This year, the location was Riga, Latvia. The focus of the event is the importance of windows for comfort and energy efficiency of highly performing buidlings such as passive houses.
With Mariana currently involved full time with Natural Capitalism Solutions and AE Building Systems, our professional ties with Colorado are now solid. This allows us to have experience in highly efficient buildings on both sides of the Atlantic, with some initial interesting considerations.
Last week Enrico took part in the 2015 Passive House Window Talks in Nova Lehota, Slovakia, a two-day event on the benefits of high-performance Passivhaus windows. It was organized by ProPassivhausFenster, a group of small European window manufacturers well known for their award-winning Smartwin windows, but it was far from the usual company-sponsored workshops designed to sell product. Architects and engineers gathered together to discuss and learn more about the technical specifications and the fundamental need for high-quality windows in everyday design.
Over the years, the construction industry has been moving in the direction of energy efficiency and environmental sustainability. However in some cases, this change has happened only from a marketing point of view: with this article, we provide you with two interesting stories.
