About
This Secondary Research presentation briefly explores Smart Glass as a climate solution and/or contemporary solution in design.
What is Smart Glass?
Adaptive technology used to improve the efficiency of windows making them responsive to weather in real time.
Smart material that includes substances engineered to have properties that can respond to external stimuli or environmental changes like temperature, light, pressure, electrical voltage, magnetic fields, or chemical reactions.
Windows become tinted to block light and keep rooms cooler.
Too Hot?
Tint disappears, letting warm natural light heat your space.
Too Cold?
Types of Smart Glass
Electrochromic
• Made up of Tungsten oxide
• Triggered by Voltage/Electricity
Thermochromic
• Triggered by Heat
• Helps reduce glare and solar radiation
Photochromic
• Triggered by light
• Helps manage brightness
Issues addressed by Smart Glass
ENERGY
EFFICIENCY
Smart glass reduces the energy load for lighting by lowering general energy consumption and carbon emissions. To satisfy heating, cooling, and lighting needs, high-performance building envelopes can reduce the CO2 emissions associated with energy use.
Envelopes are everything that separates the internal building from the external environment, including windows, doors, roofing, insulation, etc
Buildings account for approximately 40% of total energy consumption and 75% of electricity use in the U.S. Windows, although only covering about 8% of a building's surface area, contribute to roughly 45% of thermal energy loss.
OCCUPANT
COMFORT
By regulating the amount of solar heat entering a building, smart glass helps maintain a more consistent and comfortable indoor temperature. This reduces the reliance on HVAC systems, leading to better energy efficiency, lower utility costs, and a more pleasant environment for occupants. In areas with extreme heat, smart glass acts as a barrier against excessive solar heat gain. With limiting the amount of heat that penetrates through the windows, it helps protect the occupants from high indoor temperatures, which could otherwise lead to health risks like heat exhaustion or heat stroke.
Impact on Economy
IMPROVED COMFORT
Smart glass improves comfort by reducing glare and preventing the building from getting too hot.
• People are more comfortable = they tend to work better = positive impact on a building's overall productivity and, by extension, its economic performance.
COST ADVANTAGES
Smart glass reduces building operating expenses and can help save costs with heating and cooling systems, by downsizing HVAC equipment, which can result in lowering building height and construction costs.
Using Smart glass eliminates the need for traditional window coverings such as curtains or blinds which in turn reduces the need to pay for such items.
COST DIS-ADVANTAGES
Smart glass may have high manufacturing and installation costs. For example, electrochromic glass requires electricians to properly build the electrode arrays and accompanying wires, complicating design and installation, leading to an increase in cost.
Environmental Impact
Manufacturing
The production of smart glass generates trim and offcuts that are not used in the final product, contributing to emissions such as CO2, N₂O, and airborne chloride emissions (HCl).
Disposal
Chemical waste from smart glass production includes byproducts from coating materials, while electronic waste comprises obsolete or faulty wiring.
Insights
The following are quotes from scientists in my research that address potential contemporary issues associated with the widespread commercial use of smart glass in everyday homes.
“The future of smart glass extends beyond mere tinting. Researchers are considering innovative applications, such as windows that not only scatter light but also trap its heat. These windows can store heat collected during the sunniest parts of the day and release it during cooler times when energy demand is lower.”
“R&D, including new material discovery, novel technological approaches, as well as applied engineering, is key to addressing many of the performance and cost challenges faced by industry to produce highly efficient affordable windows that can achieve mainstream market acceptance.”
• "High-performance windows are crucial to achieving low-energy buildings”
• "But for smart windows to go mainstream — and trim everyone’s energy use — the price needs to go down.”
Sources:
Hawken, P. (2017). Drawdown : the most comprehensive plan ever proposed to reverse global warming. New York, New York: Penguin Books.
Harris, Chioke. (2022) Pathway to Zero Energy Windows: Advancing Technologies and Market Adoption. National Renewable Energy Lab. www.osti.gov,
Accessible at: https://doi.org/10.2172/1866581.
Miller, Brittney J. (2022) “How Smart Windows Save Energy.” Knowable Magazine | Annual Reviews. knowablemagazine.org, Accessible at:
https://knowablemagazine.org/article/technology/2022/how-smart-windows-save-energy.
Utility and Economic Benefits of Electrochromic Smart Windows | Building Technology and Urban Systems. https://buildings.lbl.gov/publications/utility-andeconomic-benefits.
Syrrakou, E., S. Papaefthimiou, P. Yianoulis. (2005) “Environmental Assessment of Electrochromic Glazing Production.” Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells,
vol. 85, no. 2, pp. 205–40. ScienceDirect, Accessible at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solmat.2004.03.005.