Glass Builidngs - Poor Energy Efficiency

[dt_toronto_geek]

With so many green initiatives being introduced (and mandated) in Toronto I've thought a few times, what about all the floor to ceiling glass condos and office towers? I was going to research it but then this came along today which touches on the subject

Letting go of longing for light

http://www.thestar.com/gta/columnist/article/642307

 

[junctionist]

Maybe all those precast towers were more functional in terms of insulation than the unadorned glass towers. Ironic?

Well, I guess it's back to Brutalism .

 

[The Condo Observer]

The implication here is that maintenance costs in some of these glass boxes could eventually rise disproportionately??

I have always had an intuition that this would be the case, but it would be good to get some hard data from the M and E people.

 

[urbandreamer]

iirc, a member was booted off UT for raising this very issue. Perhaps he wasn't a master of written English, but he certainly had a valid point. All the cold seeps into my apartment via the windows, not the concrete walls.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

UD:

For the record, that individual was booted not for expressing the view of glass buildings being energy inefficient, but for his repeated attempts at spamming multiple threads with his views on the matter.

AoD

 

[dt_toronto_geek]

Phew!!!

 

[lead82]

The fact that glass is not as efficient at insulation as brick, wood, or concrete, or cement should not be shocking really.

I do think that maintenance fees for all glass towers will be higher on average than towers that have some brick, concrete exposure.

The bigger question is, maintenance fees for condos/townhouses is getting to be way too expensive.

 

[Dilla]

Most of these building probably aren't even ASHARE 90.1 compliant!

That was the guy, right?

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Don't start Dilla

AoD

 

[Archivist]

It's ASHRAE and it's very important.

Could UT have a rule about one-issue wonders? I can think of a few others around (naming no names).

B

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

B:

I believe the unspoken rule has already been applied

A.

 

[w.ll.am]

An interesting article on windows from treehugger about the more technical aspects of the differences.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/07/green-modern-glazing.php