Engineering the Future of Architectural Comfort™
TECHNOLOGY PROVEN AT THE LINCOLN MEMORIAL
OUR APPROACH
Engineering the Future of Architectural Comfort™
How We Work
We believe architectural glass can do more than separate interior and exterior environments.
It can become an active part of the building.
Our approach begins by looking beyond conventional measures of glazing performance to consider the conditions people actually experience at the building perimeter: glass-surface temperature, radiant temperature, humidity, condensation risk, climate, occupancy, and the relationship between the façade and the building’s environmental systems.
The objective is not simply to heat glass.
It is to engineer what the glass can contribute to the building.
01
FABRICATE AT ARCHITECTURAL SCALE
Advanced technology has limited architectural value if it constrains design.
IQ Radiant Glass® can be incorporated into large-format architectural glazing, curtain walls, structural glass systems, steel windows and doors, minimal-frame systems, and other highly glazed applications.
Our manufacturing capability allows individual electrically heated glass panels up to approximately:
10.5 FT × 26.25 FT
3200 × 8000 MM
This scale allows architects to consider active glass technology without surrendering transparency, proportion, or architectural intent.
Technology should expand architectural possibilities — not restrict them.
02
Every project design begins with the conditions the architecture must address.
Climate. Orientation. Glass area. Interior use. Occupancy. Humidity. HVAC strategy. Condensation risk. Perimeter comfort.
Large areas of architectural glass can create environmental conditions that are not adequately described by room-air temperature alone. The temperature of the surfaces surrounding an occupant also influences thermal comfort.
That makes the glass surface an important part of the equation.
We begin by determining what that surface needs to accomplish.
UNDERSTAND THE ENVIRONMENT
03
ENGINEER THE GLASS SURFACE
IQ Radiant Glass® gives architects and engineers another variable to work with:
Glass-Surface Temperature
By raising and precisely controlling the interior glass-surface temperature, the glazing can be engineered to address cold-surface effects, radiant temperature asymmetry, and condensation while contributing directly to perimeter comfort.
Depending upon the application, our engineering considers glass-surface temperature, interior and exterior design conditions, humidity and dew point, condensation prevention, radiant thermal comfort, electrical demand, pane-level zoning, sensors, controls, and integration with building-management systems.
The result is a glazing system designed around the environmental requirements of the architecture rather than a predetermined product.
This is Architectural Comfort™.
04
MODEL. TEST. PROVE.
Performance should be demonstrated, not assumed.
Our approach incorporates engineering analysis, thermal modeling and, when appropriate, project-specific mockups and physical testing.
We determine what the glass must accomplish before it reaches the building.
PROOF OF CONCEPT — LINCOLN MEMORIAL UNDERCROFT
This philosophy was demonstrated during development of the glazing for the Lincoln Memorial Undercroft in Washington, D.C.
The project presented an unusual challenge: maintaining exceptional transparency while managing demanding environmental conditions, including extremely high humidity.
The solution required more than selecting a high-performance insulating glass unit.
It required controlling the temperature of the glass surface itself.
A full-scale factory demonstration allowed the project team to evaluate the technology before proceeding.
The concept was proven before the glass was installed.
05
INTEGRATE THE BUILDING
We do not view the glass as an isolated component.
Modern buildings increasingly rely upon sensors, intelligent controls, HVAC systems, heat pumps, and building-management platforms to respond dynamically to changing environmental conditions.
IQ Radiant Glass® can become part of that network.
GLASS → SENSORS → CONTROLS → BMS → HVAC → OCCUPANT
Individual panes can become controllable thermal zones. Surface-temperature and environmental sensors can provide the information needed to respond to changing humidity, exterior temperature, occupancy, and comfort requirements.
The objective is coordinated building performance rather than independent building components.
This is the foundation of our concept of Transparent Energy Infrastructure™ — transforming architectural glass from a passive building material into intelligent, active building infrastructure.
06
QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE ASSURED
Engineering continues through fabrication and delivery.
Glass composition, electrical performance, connections, controls and system requirements are coordinated for the individual project.
Units are inspected and electrically tested before shipment, with installation and control requirements coordinated with the appropriate project teams.
The result is not simply a piece of electrically heated glass.
It is an engineered glazing system designed to perform as part of the building.
The Science Behind Our Approach
Our technology is supported by research in radiant thermal comfort, building performance, and electrically heated glazing.
THERMAL COMFORT
Thermal comfort involves more than room-air temperature. Mean radiant temperature and radiant temperature asymmetry help explain why occupants can experience discomfort adjacent to large cold glazing surfaces even when room-air temperature appears acceptable.
Reference: ASHRAE Standard 55 — Thermal Environmental Conditions for Human Occupancy.
RADIANT GLASS FAÇADE TECHNOLOGY
Full-scale research demonstrates how glass-surface temperature influences thermal comfort.
Change the temperature of the glass surface, and you change the environment experienced by the occupant
ACTIVE GLAZING RESEARCH
Ongoing research continues to advance the integration of radiant glazing with HVAC, sensors, and intelligent building controls.
MODELING ACTIVE GLAZING
Continuing research is improving our ability to model multi-pane radiant glazing and predict glass-surface temperatures under actual environmental conditions.
This becomes increasingly important as active glazing is integrated with HVAC, sensors, and intelligent building-management systems.
Explore Our Insight
