Advanced Interactive Façades — Critical Elements for Future Green Buildings?

Building designers and owners have always been fascinated with the extensive use of glass in building envelopes. Today the highly glazed façade has almost become an iconic element for a "green building" that provides daylighting and a visual connection with the natural environment. Even before the current interest in green buildings there was no shortage of highly glazed building designs. But many of these buildings either rejected sunlight, and some associated daylight and view with highly reflective glazings or used highly transmissive glass and encountered serious internal comfort problems that could only be overcome with large HVAC systems, resulting in significant energy, cost and environmental penalties.