Glass: a versatile and energy efficient solution for different climates

Whether it is cold or excessively hot. And glass can play a key role in helping to improve their energy efficiency. Building materials must have different functionalities for a range of applications, and glass is no exception.

Benefits of glass

 Glass is a versatile material and can help:

• Keep warmth inside a building in cold regions
• Maximize the use of natural light 
• Protect a building’s occupants from the solar heat in warm climates
• Improve comfort of occupants

Evolving manufacturing techniques

Over the past decades, architectural glass technologies have improved and are continuing to evolve to help make buildings even more energy efficient. Many glass solutions are available and can be selected to adapt to different climates, whether hot or cold, to meet not only the energy performance requirements but also the desired aesthetic.

3 projects, 3 climates, 1 common denominator: glass

Guardian Glass provides glass solutions for projects all around the world. Join us as we take you on a quick tour to highlight 3 of these:

• Massachusetts Department of Transportation (United States of America)
  
• SABIC Home of Innovation™ (Saudi Arabia) 
  
• Norra Tornen (Sweden)
  

The requirements of these three projects were just as diverse as their geographical locations.

First stop is Mass DOT, carried out amid the hilly forests of Worchester, Massachusetts. The objective for this project was to achieve net zero energy performance, all while maintaining continuity with the scenic surroundings and ensuring the comfort of building occupants.

Next we take a drastic change of scenery and find ourselves in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia at the SABIC Home of Innovation™. The owner’s goal here was to achieve a net zero energy balance, which entailed smart solutions for energy use adapted to the desert environment.

Finally we head to Stockholm, Sweden to the Norra Tornen tower, the highest residential building in the city. Here different glass solutions were used for the various facades depending on their orientation. This approach allowed the architects to take advantage of Sweden’s scarce daylight while providing the necessary thermal insulation for indoor comfort.

With the help of Guardian Glass, the project teams were able to implement glass solutions that helped the project teams achieve their energy performance goals in various climate conditions. This resulted in three remarkable and challenging projects.