What’s Next in Sustainable Design?

It’s that time of the year when many of us start seeing reports and lists of trends in the construction industry. As has been the case in previous years, it seems sustainable design remains a top concern—and for good reason.

While sustainability is often at top of mind, this year, it seems like the way project teams are accomplishing environmental benchmarks has entered the mainstream. Last month, I saw a list of 16 Most Astonishing Construction Inventions and so many of them focused on making buildings more eco-friendly.

Several of these inventions also incorporate glass—perhaps unsurprising to us in the glazing industry since sustainability has been a focus for us for years. So, what are these inventions and how do they put the glazing industry in the driver’s seat for achieving more environmentally friendly construction?

Reducing operational carbon while also maintaining occupant comfort

This list cites smart glass, self-adjusting façades and transparent solar panels as astonishing construction inventions. All these technologies can be applied to architectural glass storefronts, windows and curtain walls, or incorporated into glazing systems to reduce the amount of energy a building requires. They also prioritize occupant experience by helping to maintain a comfortable indoor environment.

The same list also cites Aerogel, a translucent material that can be placed between glass to improve its thermal performance. At Technical Glass Products (TGP), we’ve combined this material with our channel glass systems for years to provide projects with improved U-values, solar heat gain coefficients and even increased sound transmission class (STC) ratings. Used in libraries, laboratories, commercial buildings and university projects, Aerogel helps reduce the energy needed to maintain indoor temperatures without significantly compromising access to daylight.

Planning more resilient buildings

Designing for occupant comfort and reductions to operational carbon is an important part of sustainable construction. It is also crucial to consider how to make longer-lasting and more resilient architecture—since the greenest building is the one that is already built. When a structure can withstand a wild fire or a hurricane, it can reduce the materials and energy needed to repair or rebuild.

This logic can also be applied to seismic design. TGP’s curtain wall systems were recently involved in a test to measure their ability to withstand earthquake conditions. Our systems came through the test with minimal damage to support designs that keep occupants safe and minimize repairs needed after a seismic event.

Prediction: Glazing to stay at the center of modern building design

These inventions are just the beginning. As more stringent energy requirements and more encompassing green building programs, like the Living Building Challenge, are developed, more of these types of technologies will become indispensable to the building industry.

As we inch toward 2025, my prediction is that glass and glazing will continue to be integral to achieving net zero and net positive emission criteria. This will impact every aspect of the glazing industry, not just how a material performs.

At TGP, we are looking to the future by securing Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) and Declare Labels, both of which give design teams more information about how the systems within their projects have and will impact the natural world. We are also improving how we operate. Recently our production facilities in Perrysburg, Ohio, achieved 100 percent Waste Diversion from the Landfill. This is just the beginning. We are focused on moving towards greener, more sustainable process from start to finish.