The Center for Sustainable Research (CSBR), in conjunction with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), the Alliance to Save Energy and the U.S. Department of Energy, launched www.CommercialWindows.org – a website that provides information and performance data on the energy efficiency, interior environment, and technical considerations that influence commercial window design decisions.
According to LBNL research, it is estimated that windows are responsible for 39% of commercial heating energy use and 28% of commercial cooling energy use – almost 1.5% of all total U.S. energy consumed.
CommercialWindows.org features a number of comprehensive resources including a Façade Design Tool – an interactive, online tool that allows users to choose, early in the design process, various conditions for windows to rank and compare different performance outcomes. The site also features performance data, design guidance, information on window technologies, and case studies with examples of the various uses of high-performing glass and façade systems.
The Façade Design Tool allows designers and decision-makers to compare design strategies for orientation, glazing, window area, and shading – for offices and schools in hot, cold and mixed climates – without the need for detailed inputs. After choosing a location, building type, and orientation, the Tool’s input design parameters let users design a façade system and quickly get performance outcomes for energy, peak electric demand, carbon, daylight, glare, and thermal comfort. These performance outcomes help the decision-maker to understand the environmental and human comfort impacts of various design decisions early and to facilitate integrated design considerations during design development.
The Façade Design Tool’s simulated results were generated using COMFEN, a tool to be used early in the design process to model comparative designs to help determine the optimal window design. COMFEN uses a graphical user interface with an Energy Plus engine providing performance results. COMFEN can be downloaded from LBNL’s web site at: windows.lbl.gov/software. BD+C
Related Stories
Healthcare Facilities | Jun 1, 2023
High-rise cancer center delivers new model for oncology care
Atlanta’s 17-story Winship Cancer Institute at Emory Midtown features two-story communities that organize cancer care into one-stop destinations. Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) and May Architecture, the facility includes comprehensive oncology facilities—including inpatient beds, surgical capacity, infusion treatment, outpatient clinics, diagnostic imaging, linear accelerators, and areas for wellness, rehabilitation, and clinical research.
K-12 Schools | May 30, 2023
K-12 school sector trends for 2023
Budgeting and political pressures aside, the K-12 school building sector continues to evolve. Security remains a primary objective, as does offering students more varied career options.
Multifamily Housing | May 30, 2023
Boston’s new stretch code requires new multifamily structures to meet Passive House building requirements
Phius certifications are expected to become more common as states and cities boost green building standards. The City of Boston recently adopted Massachusetts’s so-called opt-in building code, a set of sustainability standards that goes beyond the standard state code.
Architects | May 30, 2023
LRK opens office in Orlando to grow its presence in Florida
LRK, a nationally recognized architectural, planning, and interior design firm, has opened its new office in downtown Orlando, Fla.
Urban Planning | May 25, 2023
4 considerations for increasing biodiversity in construction projects
As climate change is linked with biodiversity depletion, fostering biodiverse landscapes during construction can create benefits beyond the immediate surroundings of the project.
K-12 Schools | May 25, 2023
From net zero to net positive in K-12 schools
Perkins Eastman’s pursuit of healthy, net positive schools goes beyond environmental health; it targets all who work, teach, and learn inside them.
Contractors | May 24, 2023
The average U.S. contractor has 8.9 months worth of construction work in the pipeline, as of April 2023
Contractor backlogs climbed slightly in April, from a seven-month low the previous month, according to Associated Builders and Contractors.
Mass Timber | May 23, 2023
Luxury farm resort uses CLT framing and geothermal system to boost sustainability
Construction was recently completed on a 325-acre luxury farm resort in Franklin, Tenn., that is dedicated to agricultural innovation and sustainable, productive land use. With sustainability a key goal, The Inn and Spa at Southall was built with cross-laminated and heavy timber, and a geothermal variant refrigerant flow (VRF) heating and cooling system.
Architects | May 23, 2023
DEI initiatives at KAI Enterprises, with Michael Kennedy, Jr. and Gyasi Haynes
Michael Kennedy, Jr. and Gyasi Haynes of KAI Enterprises, St. Louis, describe their firm's effort to create a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion—and how their own experiences as black men in the design and construction industry shaped that initiative.
Multifamily Housing | May 23, 2023
One out of three office buildings in largest U.S. cities are suitable for residential conversion
Roughly one in three office buildings in the largest U.S. cities are well suited to be converted to multifamily residential properties, according to a study by global real estate firm Avison Young. Some 6,206 buildings across 10 U.S. cities present viable opportunities for conversion to residential use.
