An architect behind London’s 30 St Mary Axe skyscraper – also known as the Gherkin – has suggested that it’s time to rethink glass buildings.

Writer and architectural historian Tom Dyckhoff spoke to a series of glass experts on the topic of windows and glass facades in the built environment. The BBC Radio interview, entitled Room With A View, included comments from architect Ken Shuttleworth, who worked with Norman Foster on the 180-metre tall Gherkin skyscraper. 

Architect Ken Shuttleworth says the glass industry needs to invent better glass products 

As cities become denser and skyscrapers continue to rise in urban areas, glass facades have become increasingly popular, offering inhabitants breathtaking views, absorbing sunlight for office workers and controlling solar gain to efficiently warm or cool a building.

The demand for light and ventilation at heights continues to rise. No longer are windows cut out of stainless steel structures, and people no longer have to exit a skyscraper at ground level to gain a breath of fresh air. Louvers and breathable facades provide ventilation while glass structures offer light and thermal comfort.

However, global warming has reignited the debate on whether glass is really as ideal as it may seem. In some cases, glass facades are causing concerns from energy inefficiency to creating intense glare.

London’s Walkie Talkie will have a permanent sunshade installed 

The conversation comes just months after another landmark glass tower in London, 20 Fenchurch Street (also known as the Walkie Talkie skyscraper), was found to be reflecting intensified heat onto nearby buildings and streets. Late last year, it was nicknamed the “Walkie Scorchie” after its concave structure and glass façade was accused of melting cars, sizzling pedestrians and radiating extreme heat on the sidewalk.

Following months of research, the developers of the Walkie Talkie skyscraper (Land Securities) were given a planning permission to install a permanent “brise soleil” sunshade over the glass structure, which will replace a temporary system from last summer. Work is commencing on the sunshade this month, with the skyscraper still scheduled for completion this year.

The world’s first glass skyscraper, Ludwig Miles Van Der Rohe’s 1921 Friedrichstrasse Skyscraper, was recognised for exploring glass in a modernist way in what MOMA called “the dawning of a new culture.”

However, Shuttleworth would rethink his glass Gherkin tower if it were to be built today....Continue Reading

> via sourceable.net