Apart from safety issues (exit in bedrooms, etc.), do we need windows in residential construction. The traditional window adds cost, complexity, and maintenance issues in residential construction as well as being an inefficient heat/cold/noise insulator. I am working on a design in a desert climate and would like to eliminate most of the traditional windows. At this stage I am looking at solar tubing for natural lighting and OLED screens to provide a traditional "view". One of the criteria for the building is a carbon neutral footprint after construction and windows seem a place where gains may be experienced.
Does anyone have any thoughts or experience with such concepts.
Thank you for your time.
Martin
wurdan freo
Mar 23, 17 11:08 pm
Why even bother with the solar tube? Just install led screens on every inch of wall and you can project whatever vision you want. Might as well get rid of the doors too. Put in a pass through slot and call it good. Healthy living!
pioneercove
Mar 23, 17 11:25 pm
I'm not sure how it is "healthy living" when we cannot discuss an idea in an adult tone.
JeromeS
Mar 23, 17 11:15 pm
I think they already make sensory depravation tanks and VR headsets. Just live in \ wear that
pioneercove
Mar 23, 17 11:28 pm
See above. I was looking for "constructive" ideas and where I might be wrong in my approach. Maybe the current window is the ideal but I would like to explore and have an adult conversation about any alternatives.
JLC-1
Mar 23, 17 11:16 pm
What about minimum room height? Do you know anybody 7 ft tall?
pioneercove
Mar 23, 17 11:42 pm
I'm 6' 4" which is kinda tall and only 8" below a 7 ft ceiling height. I see where you are going but I can't agree.
Rbsm
Mar 26, 17 2:34 am
He was being sarcastic.
citizen
Mar 24, 17 12:35 am
Yes, we need windows... but we don't need them everywhere. I like the idea of researching viable (and useful) alternatives where appropriate due to site condition.
But, in my opinion, if we get to the point where carbon outweighs perfectly reasonable small, everyday joys-- let's start passing out the cyanide capsules. No carbon worries after that.
Non Sequitur
Mar 24, 17 6:09 am
Digital screen in lieu of windows? That's a terrible idea unless you're working on bomb shelters.
Volunteer
Mar 24, 17 7:20 am
Don't enough people work in windowless, underground bunkers, "command" centers, and "fusion centers" as it is? Besides the desert in the morning is one of the most beautiful places on earth. I would consider putting in a sliding glass wall alongside one, if not more, sides and approaching the 'carbon neutral' meme by other means.
christambor
Mar 24, 17 9:39 am
I can think of igloo or some traditional desert houses where the windows are designed to the very minimum. Seeing that your project is located at the desert, I can see why you consider to eliminate windows in the building. You have a challenging task at hand. How do you design the building so it will not resemble prison or casino? You know that both are designed with minimum windows intentionally.
I think besides safety issue, a window is your connection to the outside world. You may lose perception of time in a windowless room. Perhaps for a claustrophobic person, a windowless room is a big no-no.
Personally I don't think I will enjoy live in a windowless house even though I enjoy being alone. I always love to be alone and yet stay connected with my surroundings.
pioneercove
Mar 24, 17 1:43 pm
Thank you for the reply. I probably should have been clearer in some of the other design elements. There is an atrium area for dining and hanging out which is almost entirely glass and includes a heat syn. I was talking more about bedrooms and other areas that may not need traditional windows.
archiwutm8
Mar 24, 17 10:31 am
Please no.
won and done williams
Mar 24, 17 10:46 am
Getting rid of all openings is a bit extreme. I could see using thin strip openings without glazing. That's been done for thousands of years.
Josh Mings
Mar 24, 17 11:22 am
Think of all the peeping toms that would be disappointed...
toosaturated
Mar 24, 17 11:50 am
Just design a cave. Should be perfect for an arid environment.
Kevin Wagner
Mar 24, 17 12:52 pm
Most high density apartments are pretty close to being windowless, usually one wall with a sliding glass door, usually facing where the breeze isn't. A windowless residence sounds like hell, like most high density apartments.
Kevin Wagner
Mar 24, 17 12:54 pm
I'm no expert on deserts, but American deserts still get seasons, changes in temperature, and native flora that would be nice to see from the inside.
MyDream
Mar 24, 17 1:02 pm
My god after all the hard work I have been doing on house styles I never heard of a home with no windows. I would stay away from anything modern or any house style for that matter.
tduds
Mar 24, 17 1:36 pm
Do we really need windows in residential construction?
Yes.
/thread
Wilma Buttfit
Mar 24, 17 3:03 pm
You don't really need anything.
Wood Guy
Mar 24, 17 4:29 pm
Code requires mechanical ventilation, two means of egress from habitable spaces, and a specific amount of artificial lighting if you don't want windows. It could certainly simplify construction and save on heat loss and gain to eliminate windows, though some amount of heat gain is often desireable. It would obviously be a very inward-focused place; fake views are still fake.
Sounds like you're designing Luke Skywalkers' aunt and uncle's home in Star Wars.
Volunteer
Mar 24, 17 6:03 pm
You could have a camera outside and project a picture on the screen of what you would see if the wall had a window. How great is that? Kind of a webcam encounter of your own house and yard.
tduds
Mar 24, 17 6:07 pm
OP should read The Veldt.
oaklander
Mar 24, 17 7:23 pm
If your concern is carbon neutrality, then what's the carbon footprint of all those OLED screens - materials extraction, manufacture, shipping, energy consumption if your energy source isn't 100% green, etc - and repeat that when your technology becomes outmoded or the screens die? (I've had way more dead TV's than broken windows in my life - and way more windows than TV's.)
Donna Sink
Mar 25, 17 10:35 am
A reasonable comment. Well-done oaklander. I'm having a hard time not being snarky on this thread but you make an excellent point.
Volunteer
Mar 24, 17 7:40 pm
On the other hand, you could run a loop of this (with audio) on the screen 24/7.
Stayed in a hotel room in Shanghai that didn't have windows, not recommended. Try sleeping in your dark in-house bathroom to get an idea of it, I lost all sense of time and place in there. It's so weird to not be able to relate to your surroundings in any way when you wake up.
Peter Normand
Mar 25, 17 9:43 am
"Do we really need windows?" Sounds like something a developer would say about affordable housing.
Yes we need and want windows.
Can we have windows and still shield the building from heat gain / loss in desert?
Yes we have thousands of years of successful design to look at, but to sum it up:
layers, preventing direct sunlight from striking glass, courtyards, screens, shutters and many other systems.
Heat gain and heat loss are both factors as the daily temperature does swing quite a bit in a desert.
the only housing I can think of is the native American Adobe style that was devoid of windows. It does work but at a cost of the benefits mentioned in other post.
Over and OUT
Peter N
Wilma Buttfit
Mar 26, 17 10:45 am
How about implementing principals of passive solar? ...if your goal is carbon neutrality it would make sense as there is no moving parts and little embodied energy when you design with the environment and the building users needs both in mind and to work together. Is carbon neutrality really a thing anyways? This forum uses carbon. Do you calculate that and offset it? Can you still buy carbon offsets and get a bumper sticker or tshirt that says so? I always thought that was really funny.
null pointer
Mar 26, 17 2:08 pm
Fascist design question.
The market demands windows.
Corner units demand higher prices.
Picture window living rooms increase the value of homes.
It's like this moron decided that he gets to decide what a consortium of millions has already decided.
pioneercove
Mar 28, 17 9:57 pm
The client gets to define the design parameters. I think it would be fascist to completely ignore the client.
Hello forum,
Apart from safety issues (exit in bedrooms, etc.), do we need windows in residential construction. The traditional window adds cost, complexity, and maintenance issues in residential construction as well as being an inefficient heat/cold/noise insulator. I am working on a design in a desert climate and would like to eliminate most of the traditional windows. At this stage I am looking at solar tubing for natural lighting and OLED screens to provide a traditional "view". One of the criteria for the building is a carbon neutral footprint after construction and windows seem a place where gains may be experienced.
Does anyone have any thoughts or experience with such concepts.
Thank you for your time.
Martin
Why even bother with the solar tube? Just install led screens on every inch of wall and you can project whatever vision you want. Might as well get rid of the doors too. Put in a pass through slot and call it good. Healthy living!
I'm not sure how it is "healthy living" when we cannot discuss an idea in an adult tone.
I think they already make sensory depravation tanks and VR headsets. Just live in \ wear that
See above. I was looking for "constructive" ideas and where I might be wrong in my approach. Maybe the current window is the ideal but I would like to explore and have an adult conversation about any alternatives.
What about minimum room height? Do you know anybody 7 ft tall?
I'm 6' 4" which is kinda tall and only 8" below a 7 ft ceiling height. I see where you are going but I can't agree.
He was being sarcastic.
Yes, we need windows... but we don't need them everywhere. I like the idea of researching viable (and useful) alternatives where appropriate due to site condition.
But, in my opinion, if we get to the point where carbon outweighs perfectly reasonable small, everyday joys-- let's start passing out the cyanide capsules. No carbon worries after that.
Digital screen in lieu of windows? That's a terrible idea unless you're working on bomb shelters.
Don't enough people work in windowless, underground bunkers, "command" centers, and "fusion centers" as it is? Besides the desert in the morning is one of the most beautiful places on earth. I would consider putting in a sliding glass wall alongside one, if not more, sides and approaching the 'carbon neutral' meme by other means.
I can think of igloo or some traditional desert houses where the windows are designed to the very minimum. Seeing that your project is located at the desert, I can see why you consider to eliminate windows in the building. You have a challenging task at hand. How do you design the building so it will not resemble prison or casino? You know that both are designed with minimum windows intentionally.
I think besides safety issue, a window is your connection to the outside world. You may lose perception of time in a windowless room. Perhaps for a claustrophobic person, a windowless room is a big no-no.
Personally I don't think I will enjoy live in a windowless house even though I enjoy being alone. I always love to be alone and yet stay connected with my surroundings.
Thank you for the reply. I probably should have been clearer in some of the other design elements. There is an atrium area for dining and hanging out which is almost entirely glass and includes a heat syn. I was talking more about bedrooms and other areas that may not need traditional windows.
Please no.
Getting rid of all openings is a bit extreme. I could see using thin strip openings without glazing. That's been done for thousands of years.
Think of all the peeping toms that would be disappointed...
Just design a cave. Should be perfect for an arid environment.
Most high density apartments are pretty close to being windowless, usually one wall with a sliding glass door, usually facing where the breeze isn't. A windowless residence sounds like hell, like most high density apartments.
I'm no expert on deserts, but American deserts still get seasons, changes in temperature, and native flora that would be nice to see from the inside.
My god after all the hard work I have been doing on house styles I never heard of a home with no windows. I would stay away from anything modern or any house style for that matter.
Do we really need windows in residential construction?
Yes.
/thread
You don't really need anything.
Code requires mechanical ventilation, two means of egress from habitable spaces, and a specific amount of artificial lighting if you don't want windows. It could certainly simplify construction and save on heat loss and gain to eliminate windows, though some amount of heat gain is often desireable. It would obviously be a very inward-focused place; fake views are still fake.
Sounds like you're designing Luke Skywalkers' aunt and uncle's home in Star Wars.
You could have a camera outside and project a picture on the screen of what you would see if the wall had a window. How great is that? Kind of a webcam encounter of your own house and yard.
OP should read The Veldt.
If your concern is carbon neutrality, then what's the carbon footprint of all those OLED screens - materials extraction, manufacture, shipping, energy consumption if your energy source isn't 100% green, etc - and repeat that when your technology becomes outmoded or the screens die? (I've had way more dead TV's than broken windows in my life - and way more windows than TV's.)
A reasonable comment. Well-done oaklander. I'm having a hard time not being snarky on this thread but you make an excellent point.
On the other hand, you could run a loop of this (with audio) on the screen 24/7.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B02DGmkqDDU
Stayed in a hotel room in Shanghai that didn't have windows, not recommended. Try sleeping in your dark in-house bathroom to get an idea of it, I lost all sense of time and place in there. It's so weird to not be able to relate to your surroundings in any way when you wake up.
"Do we really need windows?" Sounds like something a developer would say about affordable housing.
Yes we need and want windows.
Can we have windows and still shield the building from heat gain / loss in desert?
Yes we have thousands of years of successful design to look at, but to sum it up:
layers, preventing direct sunlight from striking glass, courtyards, screens, shutters and many other systems.
Heat gain and heat loss are both factors as the daily temperature does swing quite a bit in a desert.
the only housing I can think of is the native American Adobe style that was devoid of windows. It does work but at a cost of the benefits mentioned in other post.
Over and OUT
Peter N
How about implementing principals of passive solar? ...if your goal is carbon neutrality it would make sense as there is no moving parts and little embodied energy when you design with the environment and the building users needs both in mind and to work together. Is carbon neutrality really a thing anyways? This forum uses carbon. Do you calculate that and offset it? Can you still buy carbon offsets and get a bumper sticker or tshirt that says so? I always thought that was really funny.
Fascist design question.
The market demands windows.
Corner units demand higher prices.
Picture window living rooms increase the value of homes.
It's like this moron decided that he gets to decide what a consortium of millions has already decided.
The client gets to define the design parameters. I think it would be fascist to completely ignore the client.