Over 75 years ago, a revolution took place in office building design that fixed one of the largest problems with working in high-rise offices, but in doing so, created another issue that would take over half a century to fix with the help of solar control glass.
Offices needed to change, but one element that did not was the glass that became such a common element of curtain wall systems to maximise natural light, which ended up leading to problems with both glare and overheating.
Why was this the case? What stopgaps did designers and building managers use? And how can glass not only help keep heat and light out during the summer, but also keep heat in during winter?
What Was The First Modern Office Building?
The curtain wall was first innovated in the 19th century, but it took until 1950 before the concept would be fully realised.
The United Nations Secretariat Building in New York City is one of the first major office buildings to follow the now-ubiquitous approach of a high-rise complex constructed using concrete, steel and a huge curtain wall of glass.
Around the same time, the Burolandschaft (office landscape) movement created the modern open plan office, wherein instead of having separate rooms, employees would work in large offices together based on the needs of the business, as opposed to hierarchy.
This would be widely adopted across Europe and further developed in the United States as the Action Office, but there were a few problems inherent to the huge spaces that highly emphasised daylighting principles.
In some respects, this was a hugely positive approach, but it was not without its problems.
What Is The Problem With Open Plan Offices?
Open plan, heavily glazed offices are often widely debated for many reasons well outside the scope of glass, but the biggest problem and greatest frustration voiced by the people who use them all year round is the effect sunlight can have on comfort and productivity.
Much like a greenhouse, too much direct sunlight can heat the inside of an office’s open plan, which is both uncomfortable and wasteful, as much of this excess heat needs to be driven away using air conditioning units.
As well as the heat, lighting is an issue, particularly if the office uses glass partitioning. This can cause glare on screens, increased eye fatigue and increase the potential hazards that come from visual display unit usage.
Depending on the glass used, this can also cause them to be cold in winter.
How Can Solar Control Help Offices?
Solar control helps by providing an additional reflective layer that blocks four times the UV rays that conventional glass can; the latter typically blocks a quarter of UV radiation, whilst certain types of UV rays can increase that figure to up to 99 per cent.
This not only protects you from all of the negative effects of UV radiation, such as sunspots, sunburn and increased risk of skin cancer, but it also helps to reduce energy usage in summer and in winter.
In summer, there is less need for air conditioning, whilst in winter, far less heat is lost through condensation, leading to lower heating bills.