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Green building design criteria emphasizes the energy-efficient performance of fenestration materials and maximum use of natural daylight. Given this background, Glass is an indispensable material for green building. It has a wide range of functional benefits. Its transparency allows day-lighting of the interiors and integrates the interiors with the
exteriors. Studies have proven time and again that this substantially improves the productivity and health of the occupants of the building.
Glass is completely recyclable and non-toxic in nature. It satisfies all the ecological parameters of being the most sought after “green” building material in Green Buildings. Moreover it harmonizes a structure with its environment.
Glass has varied “Green” benefits of which, some of them are:
•Day-lighting - The use of glass brings in lot of light that helps in giving a high amount of natural day lighting instead of depending solely on artificial lighting thus reducing considerably electricity consumption.
•Blending interiors with exteriors (Views) - Glass facades give a spectacular view of the outside world from the cozy interiors.
•Recyclability - Glass being recyclable satisfies the important parameter of being a “Green” building material.
•Achieving energy efficiency - High performance glass helps in controlling the solar and thermal heat in the interiors and helps to maintain the temperature at its minimum best and in turn helps to tone down the air-conditioning expenses.
•Innovative application - Being very flexible building material glass helps to satisfy and capture an architect's Utmost imagination in its shape and form.
•Controls noise: Double glazed glass facades help in achieving a high degree of acoustic comfort by keeping away noise penetrating from the exteriors to the interiors thus ensuring a calmer atmosphere inside.
•Self Cleaning: The future belongs to self-cleaning glass which keeps itself clean on its own and brings out an ever sparkling effect.
Glass and LEED Rating
The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), provides a suite of standards for environmentally sustainable construction. The LEED rating system for Green buildings has six major areas of which four have the potential to be tapped through
appropriate usage of High Performance Glass in design:
•Sustainable sites
•Water efficiency
•Energy and atmosphere
•Materials and resources
•Indoor environmental quality
•Innovation and design process
ENERGY & ATMOSPHERE (EA)
Optimize Energy Performance
The building facade, windows, doors, and skylights can be designed with high performance glass to meet the desired solar heat gain coefficient and U-value requirements. The use of glass can let in adequate daylight resulting in reduction of artificial lighting costs. A complete energy simulation for the building is possible nowadays and helps to
improve the energy performance of the design.
MATERIALS & RESOURCES (MR)
Regional Materials
The distance from the glass manufacturing/fabrication facility to the job site (within 500 miles radius) is a major factor in gaining points under the Regional Materials Credit.
INDOOR ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY (EQ)
Daylight and Views
High Performance glass from various glass manufacturers helps to blend the twin actions of achieving desired levels of daylight and transparency to enable external views. The letting in of natural light helps cut down on the artificial lighting costs.
INNOVATION & DESIGN PROCESS (ID)
Innovation in Design
Glass addresses needs such as Acoustic Insulation, Self-cleaning etc apart from the prescribed requirements of Energy Efficiency, Recyclability and Day-lighting. High performance glass when used in Double Glazed panels or as Laminated units provide higher degree of Acoustic Insulation that ward off unwanted noise from the external atmosphere.
Thus the overall innovative use of High Performance Glass in a building can fetch upto 13% of the overall points in the LEED Rating system.
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