Archinect - News

Research team invents new 'smart' window that diminishes heat without blocking views

2021-11-10T19:46:00-05:00

An international research team led by scientists from Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore has invented a new window material that controls heat transmission without blocking views, which could help reduce the energy required to cool and heat buildings.

The new energy-saving material for electrochromic (EC) windows is designed to block infrared radiation, which is the primary component of sunlight that emits heat. According to NTU Singapore’s announcement, the material could block up to 70 percent of infrared radiation, while allowing up to 90 percent of visible light to pass through. In addition, the researchers claim that it is about 30 percent more effective in regulating heat than commercially available electrochromic windows and is cheaper to make due to its durability. The material is intended to be coated onto glass window panels with users being able to switch on and off the infrared radiation transmission through the window.

Current electrochromic windows are...

Micromirrors in glazing could transform building performance

2021-05-14T11:16:00-04:00

Researchers at the University of Kassel in Germany have published their findings on the potential for smart glazing to transform building energy use. With buildings responsible for 40% of primary energy consumption, and 36% of total CO2 emissions, the team led by Harmut Hillmer sought to explore how changes in the material composition of universal architectural elements could reduce the impact of the built environment on climate change.

The research, published in the Journal of Optical Microsystems, details the major energy savings to be gained by incorporating a system of tiny micromirrors into architectural glazing. “Our smart glazing is based on millions of micromirrors, invisible to the bare eye, and reflects incoming sunlight according to user actions, sun positions, daytime, and seasons, providing a personalized light steering inside the building," Hillmer explains.

SEM micrograph of vertically standing, flat micromirror array with an inset of magnified area. Image: Hillme...

How 'smart glass' at airports boosts alcohol sales

2018-04-23T14:21:00-04:00

The tinted world of tomorrow is coming, and airports—mini-cities of steel, concrete and lots and lots of glass—are interested. In a test last fall, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport outfitted one of its gates with a new type of “smart glass” that can adjust for sunlight exposure. The obvious point is to keep travelers from getting overheated—but the exercise also brought a more lucrative benefit.

A Cornell-led study at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport found that implementing a new type of electrochromatic 'smart glass' at one of its gates not only led to cooler, more pleasant surface temperatures in the waiting area, but the tinted glass, and the resulting dimmer light in the neighboring bars and restaurants, also resulted in increased alcohol sales—by as much as 80%.

More airports have announced plans to upgrade their lounges and terminals with 'smart glass.'

How "smart" tintable glass will reduce our needs for air conditioning

2015-05-22T14:15:00-04:00

The downside of giant banks of windows or glass walls, though, becomes obvious when the relentless afternoon sun makes the heat and stuffiness inside intolerable [...]. The makers of “smart glass” say they can address this problem. Smart-glass windows transform from transparent to opaque, and every shade in between, in seconds. They often rely on electrochromic thin films embedded in the glass. The upshot: Less energy is needed to heat or cool a building. Shades and blinds become optional.