Flexible transparency

Abstract

This research studies the use of thin glass on adaptive facade panels with the objective of increasing the knowledge of the use of this material in the built environment. Thin glass is a material that is harder, stronger and flexible than common glass. As some of the main current challenges faced in glass design are material use and building element’s weight, thin glass can be seen as an interesting and sustainable alternative to common glass. While many different applications of thin glass in the built environment are possible, this research focus on embracing its main characteristic, the flexibility, by studying the use of this material in adaptive façade panels. The behavior of thin glass in this context depends on different factors, first the glass size and thickness define its bending limits, while the desired geometry and movement affect its stiffness and visual outcome. To integrate these factors different configurations of panels were analyzed in numerical models. These analyzes showed the importance of understanding the desired movement and geometry in order to correctly define the supports and degrees of freedom of the panel, avoiding stress concentration (especially on the edges) and allowing for an unobstructed movement of the panel. The development of these analyses resulted on the conception of a design example, taking in consideration the design guidelines developed in the research. This example was then applied in a case study, in order to analyze it in a real context. Although there is still the need for research to be developed so that thin glass can become a building material, this research showed that this is possible and that interesting results, regarding visual effect, ventilation and dead load reduction (in larger scale, an environmental impact reduction is also possible) can be achieved