Roger Morph 
People want comfortable and functional architecture, and glass curtain walls have found their place in both commercial and residential buildings because they have various advantages and give a place an aesthetic appeal. These walls have non-structural outer coverings that ensure indoor comfort and good air quality because they create a barrier between the interior and exterior environments. This barrier ensures that the entire room has everything, like complete ventilation and thermal insulation, along with natural lighting.
Enhanced Thermal Insulation
Glass curtain walls can increase indoor comfort with the help of thermal insulation features. Designing an insulated glass curtain wall requires many things, like glazing layers, low-emissivity (Low-E) coatings, and argon or krypton gas-filled spaces between panes. These features can keep rooms warmer in winter and cooler in summer and make indoors comfortable. In this way, people can stop relying on HVAC systems and save on electrical energy.
Optimal Natural Lighting
Natural lighting is pretty good for health because it keeps your skin healthy and uplifts your mood, which further leads to productivity, and glass curtain walls allow maximum daylight. The best part about modern glass curtain walls is they have features like tinted or reflective coatings, which adjust the entry of sunlight. This helps get proper sunlight and create a well-lit space without excessive brightness or UV exposure.
Improved Air Quality through Ventilation
Many glass curtain walls have a special feature of windows and vents that people can open whenever they want to let in fresh air. The proper air circulation and the natural airflow help remove humidity, bad odors, and pollutants from the air and let in fresh air. In this way, people can stop depending on air conditioning or ventilation machines without compromising on pushing stale air out and fresh air in. Such glass curtain walls help in creating a healthier and fresher environment.
Reduction of Indoor Pollutants
Due to various reasons, indoor air pollution has become a big problem in modern architecture.
Things like furniture, electronics, and synthetic materials are used indoors and release harmful chemicals into the air. Glass curtain walls help make the environment free from pollutants by letting in fresh air and reducing moisture. Some special glass coatings can also block dust and other tiny particles, which makes the air cleaner and healthier to breathe.
Noise Reduction for a More Comfortable Environment
Noise pollution is one of the biggest problems that disturbs our indoor comfort, especially in urban areas. However, with glass curtain walls, noise can be reduced by using sound-insulating properties. There are a variety of ways that can help in making a quieter indoor environment, like laminated glass or specialized acoustic interlayers, which absorb or block sounds from outside.
Moisture and Condensation Control
Sometimes, due to a lack of natural light and moisture and condensation, indoor spaces can grow mold, which negatively impacts air quality and can cause health issues. However, when glass curtain walls are used, they have certain features, like glazing materials and thermal breaks, that stop condensation and create a dry and comfortable indoor environment.
Smart Glass Technology for Adaptive Comfort
Technology has introduced many things that make our homes comfortable, and smart glass is one of them. Smart glasses change their transparency level according to external conditions. Well, electrochromic and thermochromic glasses manage and control how much light and heat from outside should be entering a building. This is one of the best features that ensures the indoor spaces remain comfortable in different seasons and all day.
Conclusion
Glass curtain walls are beautiful, and their elegance adds to the sophistication of a place, but they are not only visually appealing; they also have many advantages that people can enjoy. Glass curtain walls make sure that there is enough natural lighting, which uplifts mood, brightens up a room and saves energy.
Then it can also reduce noise and indoor pollutants by proper ventilation, which creates a healthier and more comfortable indoor environment. So, glass curtain walls have many advantages, and with growing technology, there is every day a new benefit that adds on and makes glass curtain walls every architect’s first preference.
