Aesthetics in Glass Structures, 2004

Moral Aesthetic

We need to consider the aesthetic and value of our work by taking account of:

• all of our senses
• how we extract materials for manufacturing
• how and what we manufacture for buildings
• how we can reduce the maintenance burden of our designs
• a socially responsible dimension to what we design.

We are being challenged by our behaviour, and consequently nature has become our looking glass. Consider trees. They capture light, make energy, grow by processing CO2 and water, support and are a home to other life forms. They do not appear to waste heat or energy and are natural pollutant processors. If there are appropriate architectural forms, they are to be found in nature. However, we need to understand both their composition and mechanisms at the molecular level as well as the biological processes, and not simply resort to mimetic architecture.

The discussion and work on multi-glass facades is a transitory experiment based upon the premise that the architectural facade has to be entirely made of transparent glass. Why? Is it the most appropriate material for high rise buildings in a global climate that is getting warmer? Will these types of buildings continue to need high cooling loads? Can multi-glass facades be justified when buildings seem to have such short life spans? Most office buildings and headquarters only seem to survive thirty years without undergoing major transformations ­ i.e. replacing their entire facades.
The multi-glass facade approach has a long way to go to prove that it is an intelligent direction for energy efficiency if a holistic appraisal of energy is considered.

Similarly, the use of photovoltaic panels is problematic. Integrated within facades they will dictate the life of the facade to, at most, 25 years. Without subsidy their payback period is 100 to 120 years. How efficient are they? Currently marketed amorphous silicone modules achieve about 5% in use, 10% at the very best, and theoretically only 27%. And what happens to the heat that they give off? They ought to be kept cool to enable them to function near their capacity, and they tend to give off more heat in the summer when we don’t really want it. These characteristics make it inconvenient for integrating into facades unless the facade has another skin and the cavity is ventilated.

We still need new methodologies to achieve synergy between aesthetics and engineering, building and the environment. We are beginning to define some of them with regard to sustainable design, construction, and use. Maybe then we would be able to avoid creating empty fashions and allow for a more informed understanding of the social, physical, economic, and philosophical aspects that inform and inspire design. This will surely help us shape a better future and give progress a new meaning.

Conclusion

The technical design and installation of glass to moderate the external environment has developed enormously over the past few decades. But perhaps the most notable physical and visual effect has been the increasing thickness of glass making up the facades and roofs of buildings. Looking at any contemporary building today where glass is a major element, the accumulated glass thickness is likely to be at least 20mm. The colour of ordinary float glass is revealed ­ green. Consequently, there has been more and more demand by architects for lowiron glass in order to keep the `crystal’ qualities pre-eminent.

We are at the dawn of another glass renaissance brought about by the intelligent synthesis of art, nature and technology where decoration is performance and performance is decoration and is dynamic rather than static. The combination of visual and moral aesthetics gives glass, uniquely placed as a material inextricably linked to light and energy, unbounded opportunities to be developed within new architectural aesthetics.

© Ian Ritchie – May 2004