Windows are as old as buildings, the word itself derived from the ancient Norse language in times when Vikings raided North Europe. How to design a window? How should an architectural glass be chosen?  Vikings are long gone, and we found the knowledge remains common among architects in the North Europe, but has not spread much ever since, judging by some familiar examples. Nowhere else so much could be wasted by so few: the glazing is the most advanced and the most expensive part of many facades; therefore, it warrants a good, more than a skin-deep design.

In this article, titled “When You Need a Window – Solar Design” Kaz attempts to shed some light on two elementary aspects of glass engineering: visible light and solar transmittance. Their combination is called  the coolness factor and happens to be the the most important solar glass benchmark and part of the historical quest to bring the natural light deeper into the buildings while avoiding perimeter discomfort.

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General Comment from Kaz: Dear Readers, Thank you for your emails and comments typed in the download form. These are very valuable and I appreciate them, and will answer every question, as the time permits. However, the purpose of this blog is the education of the general public. Therefore, I would appreciate if you could  kindly post your questions publicly, clicking on “Leave a Comment” above. This way both questions and answers will benefit everyone. Please, also keep in mind that unless you contracted our consulting services, we reserve the right to post your questions and our answers publicly anyway because the purpose of this blog is the education of the general public.

07/18/2011. Additional Clarification by Kaz is posted Here.

04/25/2014

In April 2013, my article was printed by The Constuction Specifier under the title “Solar Design for Windows” and is available free of charge here.