High Performance Facades Series

A definition of high performance in the context of buildings and their subassemblies is elusive and nebulous. Trending words such as “sustainable” and “technologically advanced” are often used to describe works that are often neither. This four part series defines the characteristics essential to a high-performance building envelope, the attributes required of such wall systems, and the metrics and best practices essential to qualifying a wall system as a "high-performance facade."



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Part One: Fact or Fiction?
Part Two: Defining High Performance
Part Three: Performance Attributes – What to Consider & Measure
Part Four: Metrics & Best Practices

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© 2013 enclos corp. All rights reserved.



Facade TecNotes Series

Sure, you could say that we merely clad buildings. But within each project undertaken lie the details, and Enclos’ details are amongst the most complex in the construction marketplace.

In 2009 Enclos’ Advanced Technology Studio (ATS) published two technical reports to articulate these details; one explaining the attributes of skylight glass systems in overhead applications, and the second annotating design and functional considerations for double skin wall systems. These initial ideas have since grown into an ever-expanding group of publications known as the Facade TecNotes Series, with each topic explaining one of the finer points of building skin mechanics. Since these initial two publications debuted, nearly a dozen in total have been developed to convey our industry leading facade technologies to owners, developers, architects and general contractors alike.



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 Volume 1: Skylights

Glass in overhead applications brings special opportunities and equally special considerations. It is important to understand and explore the active and passive tools at the designer’s disposal to balance the often conflicting attributes of natural light and solar heat gain.


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 Volume 2: Double Skins

The cost of energy is increasing at an unprecedented rate. This factor, coupled with the potential for natural ventilation and daylight harvesting, is reducing the life cycle costs of double skin facades, making them a relevant design possibility for the construction of high-rise buildings.


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 Volume 5: Healthcare

This building type presents a number of unique considerations, including large floor-to-floor spans to accommodate extensive mechanical systems, intensive coordination with MEP throughout the design and build process, and logistics often requiring facilities to remain operational throughout construction.


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 Volume 6: BIM

The use of Building Information Modeling (or BIM) has demonstrated favorable impact on both design and construction phases of projects, improving quality, lowering costs and reducing schedules. This has been evidenced as especially true when the project team involves specialists early in the design process, creating a collaborative environment where the impact of design decisions on a project can be accurately simulated early on.


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 Volume 9: LEED

Building energy performance is primarily influenced by enclosure systems and mechanical solutions to treat the interior space. As the market continues to progress towards sustainable solutions, the evolution of the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED rating system continues to force evolution in the strategies and technologies of building skins.


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Insight Series

Insight is the publication of Enclos’ Advanced Technology Studio (ATS), which serves as a conduit to share our research and development with others throughout the a/e/c community.



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Insight 01

Our debut report discusses Double Skin cavity dynamics, the impact of 3D visualization on the building facade, rapid protyping, metal panel deflection, Architecturally Exposed Structural Steel (AESS), thermal performance, environmentally responsive parametric tools, photovoltaic testing, case studies, research & development initiatives, and much, much more.


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Entire Publication


Chapter 1 | Double-Skin Façade Cavity Dynamics
Investigation into the structural performance and pressure distributions of dual wall systems


Chapter 2 | Crystal Cladding: Detailing Faceted Glazed Geometries
The magnified fabrication and installation concerns arising from complex geometries


Chapter 3 | Emerging Trends and Applications of Double-Skin Facades
Recent double-skin façade applications in the United States


Chapter 4 | Double-Skin Cable-Net Facade
Case study of the Loyola University Chicago Richard J. Klarchek Information Commons


Chapter 5 | Structurally Transparent Juxtaposition
300 New Jersey Avenue's novel glass atrium


Chapter 6 | The Third Dimension
Integration of 3D into the design, analysis, shop, field and installation processes at Enclos


Chapter 7 | Visualization by Animation
Communicating structural systems, services and technologies by digital illustration


Chapter 8 | 1:1 Rapid Prototyping
Tactile communication with 3D prints


Chapter 9 | Light-Gage Metal Panel Deflection
Analytical and experimental studies of metal panel deflection under applied pressure


Chapter 10 | Architecturally Exposed Structural Steel (AESS)
The artistic expression of structure with steel


Chapter 11 | Product Thermal Performance
A study of thermal transmittance and condensation resistance through simulation


Chapter 12 | Energy Ratings and Standards
Enclos' participation in NFRC Standards


Chapter 13 | Environmentally Responsive Parametric Tools
Integrating environmental analysis as a driver to control geometrically complex facade design


Chapter 14 | Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) Testing
Enclos' in-house study and testing of BIPV technologies


Chapter 15 | Double-Skin Façade Advanced Analysis
Accounting for pressure distributions of dual wall intermediate space


Chapter 16 | Parametric Modeling with Complex Geometries
Automating part generation for complex geometries


Chapter 17 | Automated Part Generation
Design automation to increase productivity


Chapter 18 | Cassette Wall Assembly Mobile Facility
Minimizing time and labor for the fabrication of modular facade systems


Chapter 19 | Robowash
Window washing through robotic technologies


Chapter 20 | CAR-V
The Cassette Attachment & Removal Vehicle


Chapter 21 | Acoustically Enhanced Insulated Glass
Prevailing concerns for mitigating noise pollution through the building envelope




© 2013 enclos corp. All rights reserved.



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Insight 02

The Studio's second publication examines facade retrofits, double skins, cable net walls, textile studies, field mechanization, buy american requirements, component optimization design, sealed cavity walls, blast performance of structural glazing, cassette wall systems, phantom modeling in BIM, and case studies.


Print edition available upon request: curtainwall@enclos.com
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Entire Publication


Chapter 1 | Facade Retrofits: The Dilemma of Highly Glazed High-Rise Facades
The infrastructure and energy problem of aging mid-20th century buildings


Chapter 2 | Seeing Double
Mechanics, applications and trends of double skin facades


Chapter 3 | Sustainable Facade in Tension
A vertical cable wall case study


Chapter 4 | Potential in Textiles: Space, Surface and Structure of Crochet
A study of building form through textiles


Chapter 5 | Field Mechanization for Cladding Installation
Field installation techniques and strategies


Chapter 6 | Project Spotlight: Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
Case study of the 2011 RIBA International Award winning project


Chapter 7 | Buy American Requirements in a Globalized Economy
Communicating Simplifying Buy American statutes in a post-recession market


Chapter 8 | Optimization in Component Design
Structural optimization techniques for curtainwall products


Chapter 9 | Sealed Cavity Walls
Managing the fluid dynamics, heat-transfer and water vapor of a building facade


Chapter 10 | Blast Performance of Structural Glazing
Analysis methods for architectural blast design


Chapter 11 | Cassette Wall System
A study of modular façade systems and solutions


Chapter 12 | Phantom Modeling in BIM
The interoperability of 3D models shared by an entire project team




© 2013 enclos corp. All rights reserved.