The main significance of this Thesis is reinforcing the importance of validating the design decisions for glass façades in order to improve... Show moreThe main significance of this Thesis is reinforcing the importance of validating the design decisions for glass façades in order to improve their energy performance and achieve an optimum interior space comfort without compromising its ability to adapt to future needs. Since the influence of glass façades in energy consumption is widely known and proved, and environmental and user needs change with time, this research encourages the evaluation of glass-wall designs in order to ensure high performing building envelopes. The research consists of three main parts. First, in relation to glass façade design there has been an analysis of glass components and its effects, an identification of the façade requirements, and a study of the technology behind the glass enclosure. Second, there has been a numerical evaluation of different glass-wall systems; glazing types, window-towall ratio and screening devices have been simulated for heating, cooling and lighting loads using TRNSYSlite, and COMFEN respectively. The combination of these results along with the study of the SHGC, U-value, Tvis, incident solar radiation and energy transmission and conduction, has concluded in a catalogue of glass-wall systems suitable for each orientation. Third, the numerical results have been applied in the design of a glass enclosure for an existing building in Chicago. The overall results of this research provide criteria to design a residential glass enclosure in Chicago that can improve its performance today, and can also be adapted to meet future space and environmental needs. Hopefully, architects will be encouraged to numerically evaluate their design intentions to obtain energy efficient and adaptable glass-wall designs. M.S. in Architecture, May 2011 Show less
Query
(-) mods_name_creator_namePart_mt:"Muro, Maria Palencia"
