Transparency in architecture is desirable for many reasons. In order to build transparent buildings with high levels of occupant comfort without compromising energy performance, façade technology and integration of economic viability and environmental systems are still more difficult.
Façades not only shape the appearance of building, they also determined the indoor climate, energy consumption and operating costs of a building. Whether or not residents and users feel well in a building largely depends on the outer skin which influences light and the climate inside the building. Renowned architects such as Lord Norman Foster or O. Gehry, therefore attach great importance to façade design. Their bold ideas often call for innovative engineering services from façade manufacturers [1]( Fig.1).
The economic viability of glazed and double-skin façade is usually a controversial topic among designers. Views range from “a waste of money “to “economically viable because of energy savings”. Opinions of this kind are very often generalizations that take account only of the capital outlay and energy costs.
A model simulation is presented, illustrating potential of careful application of the available construction technology adapting and integrating an approach of optimal design, regarding energy consumption of fully glazed facades and projected payback periods. To provide more accurate conclusions and based on the presented economic analysis, this paper investigates the payback periods as a tool to measure the economic viability of various alternative fully glazed facade systems. The paper has reached several conclusions, most important of which are: a double skin facade offers the most energy saving and Projected payback periods of fully and double glazed facades are very economic and feasible for various applications in Arab Gulf Countries. |
