Page/ Investigates Glass-To-Wall Ratios

Designers used FenestraPro to experiment with the implications of a range of glass to wall ratios while exporting data to comparatively analyze the results.

Stage: Schematic Design

Identifying Energy and Cost-Saving Opportunities

Using Frit Patterns

Key Benefits

Savings Of Several Days Worth Of Design Hours

No Reliance On Sustainability Consultants

Delivering A Sustainable Facade Solution

In Late Stages of Design

Overview

Page/ is a leading global design firm and hugely influential in design across multiple sectors. The Higher Education Team at Page/, Page/academic, provides design solutions that are particular and responsive to academic programmes and economics. From campus planning to higher education, Page/academic ranked 13 in 110 by Building Design + Construction in 2016.

The Project

As part of a campus masterplan in the northeastern part of Houston, this building had a fixed orientation. Using a single day of peak solar load, the designers efficiently experimented with a range of glass to wall ratios – from 10 % to 90% – to see the implications of their design decisions in real-time. The designers then exported the data calculations to FenestraPro Snapshots to comparatively analyse the results. In consideration of Prescriptive Energy Codes IECC-2015 and the threshold where shading becomes beneficial, FenestraPro graphically demonstrated the optimal glass-to-wall ratio per façade and provided detailed solutions.

Carried out by a Building Performance Analyst as part of the Higher Education design team at PageThink, this exercise using FenestraPro led to data-driven decision-making. This investigation into glass-to-wall ratio, which can often take days, was carried out in a matter of hours and informed the team of limits and opportunities of varying glazing solutions for each façade.

Key Features Used

Glazing
Analysis
Application

Compare and Contrast
Shading Solutions

Seamlessly
Export BIM
Data

Download This Case Study

FenestraPro gave us rapid and comprehensive feedback for a competition proposal that we would have otherwise not run. The ability to parametrically generate windows and shading was a huge time saver, which enabled us to demonstrate a rich level of detail within the competition deadline.

Because of FenestraPro’s instant feedback, we finally have a tool that works well with our performance-based design workflows, which are always iterative in nature.

Shreejay TuladharBuilding Performance Analyst at PageThink

Gallery