The (Un)Sustainable Futures of Glass Architecture: A Life Cycle Assessment of Curtain Wall Retrofit Scenarios in Brussels
Fiche du document
2023
- handle: 10670/1.rxn862
- isbn: 978-956-14-3068-6
- hal: hal-04141857
Mots-clés
Glass Curtain Wall LCA Uncertainty SensitivitySujets proches
Novels Fiction--Plots Dramatic plots Drama--Plot Scenarios Screen plays Filmscripts Photoplays Film scripts Moving-picture plays Scripts (Motion pictures) Film plays Screenplays Motion picture scripts Scenarios Products, Manufactured Manufactured goods Products Manufactured products Supposition Assumption Assessment Assessment, Tax Assessment Property tax--Assessment Real property tax--Assessment Assessed valuation Western architecture (Western countries) Building design Construction Buildings--Design and construction Architecture, Western (Western countries)Citer ce document
Jean Souviron et al., « The (Un)Sustainable Futures of Glass Architecture: A Life Cycle Assessment of Curtain Wall Retrofit Scenarios in Brussels », HAL-SHS : architecture, ID : 10670/1.rxn862
Métriques
Partage / Export
Résumé
Fully glazed office buildings embody the paradoxes of our built environment, both as a symbol of modernity and as energy-intensive architecture. The use of glass regardless of the orientation increases cooling loads, while older facades offer low light transmission and poor thermal and acoustic insulation. Consequently, this type of architecture has become an important focus of European thermal retrofit policies, while a wide range of glass products has been developed to achieve better energy efficiency, from special coatings on triple glazing. The implementation of these products is based on the assumption that the resulting reduction in cooling and heating loads during the use phase would offset the environmental effects caused by their production and transport, as well as by the disposal of the old façade. However, this assumption remains little discussed today. This paper therefore considers a case study of façade replacement scenarios for a generic office building in Brussels. Different retrofit strategies are analysed through a life cycle assessment that focuses on the uncertainties related to the potential evolution of energy systems and practices in a climate changing world.