Glass Façade in Architecture: Benefits, Types & The Shard

Introduction

Glass is becoming an essential component of many façades. This material is easily shaped and installed, allowing for the creation of striking and visually commanding structures. However, a contemporary building must meet a number of criteria beyond aesthetic standards in order to create adequate comfort within its interior spaces. It is vital to conceive of a structure with an "interactive" shell that improves occupant comfort by increasing the quality of the interior space and optimizing the use of natural resources. Modern glass constructions have progressed from single-layered framed window glazing to load-carrying, high-performance structural elements that significantly shape the aesthetic attributes of modern architecture. Due to the complexities of using glass elements in contemporary buildings, several façade consulting considerations must be addressed to achieve a high-quality solution.

This paper examines the various attributes of glass façades and further develops the discussion through a case analysis of The Shard's glass façade in London. The discussion covers why glass is used in façades, the history of glass façades, the benefits and attributes of glass façades, and their sustainability features.

Historical Background of Glass Façades

Glass is one of the earliest manufactured materials and has been used continuously since its inception. Although the precise origins of glassmaking remain uncertain, the earliest known date is approximately 7000 B.C., during the Neolithic period. Glass was first employed in Egypt for decorative purposes before 3000 B.C., primarily as a colorful glaze on stone, pottery, and beads; it was the Romans who pioneered its use in windows. A glass façade as a building element coincided with the shift away from conservative brick and concrete wall construction toward a curtain wall system. In the early nineteenth century, there was a progressive movement away from traditional load-bearing masonry toward a framed structural system composed of steel and concrete parts. This transition introduced the possibility of replacing a masonry façade wall with a lightweight, transparent one. Because the façade on framed constructions no longer performed a load-bearing function, the façade wall took on the role of an enclosing skin. The development of lightweight façade systems began and progressed in parallel with the development of the skeletal structural system.

The Crystal Palace, built by Joseph Paxton in London in 1851, heralded a shift in architecture's customary opaqueness by introducing transparency through glass. Paxton brought glass from the greenhouse into the architectural domain for the first time. One of the primary goals of this project was to create a consistently lit interior using daylight as the sole light source. To reduce harsh sunshine and glare, translucent calico screens were hung externally between the ridge beams of the roof glazing, covering the entire surface of the most exposed horizontal section of the roof.

The concept of transparent, all-glass buildings captured the imagination of architects across the world. Chicago architects constructed America's first high-rise glazed building in the first half of the twentieth century. Simultaneously, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe envisioned and built models of hypothetical 20- and 30-story skyscrapers clad entirely in glass, resembling the towers we recognize today. It was not until the middle of the twentieth century that technology allowed for the construction of multi-story glass façades, as seen in Gordon Bunshaft's Lever House, Mies van der Rohe's Seagram Building, and the many other glass skyscrapers that define Manhattan's skyline.