Glass in green buildings

A green design concept is to facilitate sustainable use of the resources – energy, water and other materials – all through the complete life cycle of the building including its construction.

Glass is a useful material that has such advantages such as transparency, natural daylighting, permitting a sky view and acoustic control, depending on the glazing solution used. Glass is a recyclable material; recycling glazed windows reduces toxic waste improving sustainability in the environment.

Glass can play a role in accomplishing greater indoor environmental quality and when used carefully, glass can improve energy efficiency; however, a measured approach needs to be taken to ensure the building loads are not excessively increased due to solar gain. Glass combines functionality with aesthetic and is therefore used for modernized designs by architects and designers.

The intent of a green building design is to curtail the demand on non-renewable resources, amplify utilization efficiency of these resources when in use, and augment the reuse, recycling, and consumption of renewable resources.