Smart Glazing Contributes Points Towards Green Building Certificates | Halio

Halio Glass delivers on energy efficiency and visual comfort

Green Building certificates are increasingly becoming a verified planning instrument. They sharpen the focus upon an integrated view of the life cycle as well as integral solution approaches for sustainable buildings. Intelligent technologies play a key role in releasing areas of sustainability potential. Dimmable glazing such as Halio® Glass are also increasingly coming into focus where certification according to international standards such as BREEAM, LEED, WELL, DGNB/ÖGNI/SGNI or national standards such as ÖGNB or SNBS is sought.

The Fridays for Future movement has become a bit quieter. Many architects and companies have nevertheless declared their solidarity with the aims of the climate movement in recent months. The Federation of the German Construction Industry (Hauptverband der Deutschen Bauindustrie) also writes in a statement that all sectors of the economy must make a contribution in order to achieve the national and international climate protection targets.

Sustainable building is no longer just merely an option, but a must. The assessment criteria for sustainable building have been continuously extended since the introduction of BREEAM, the starting point of all Green Building certificates. Life cycle assessments and recycling management aspects took on increased importance, as did the health, comfort and well-being of building users. Robert Jagger, Halio Sales Manager for the Europe and Middle East regions, is certain that intelligently switchable glazing will be one of the successful products of the coming years: “Tinted glass contributes towards the topic of sustainable building on several levels. On the one hand, it does of course concern improvements in energy efficiency. On the other hand, it measurably increases the levels of visual and thermal comfort and thus also contribute towards improved health and performance”.

Minimisation of energy consumption, optimisation of energetic performance

The highest possible level of energy efficiency is, of course, a great benefit for all current Green Building certifications. Electrochromic glazing influences the energy consumption of a building in two ways.

Due to the fact they regulate the energy input depending on the weather, position of the sun and user needs, they consequently reduce the costs of heating, summer air conditioning and artificial lighting. Depending on the glass design, Halio glass panes achieve U_g values of up to 0.5 W/(m²K). The total energy transmittance can be gradually regulated downwards from 45 % in the untinted state to only 2 % in the tinted state. “Obviously, the direct energy-saving potential of Halio glazing varies depending on the climate region and the orientation of the façade, but our experiences demonstrate that, thanks to our innovative control algorithms and tinting speed, the optimum result can exceed 20%,” adds Jagger.

Health and user comfort 

Light, especially daylight, has always been one of the most important design elements in architecture. However, the question of how important natural daylight really is for people’s health, was only finally brought to the attention of building planners due to a relatively novel scientific discipline.

Chronobiology recognised that the eye is not only an organ of sight, but that hormone production in the body is also influenced by its retinal photo-receptors. The blue light in the morning stimulates the formation of cortisol and revives us, the reddish light in the evening sends us into a state of rest due to an increased release of melatonin. Daylight therefore has a mood lifting, energising effect, which, due to a lack of time spent in the open air, we can only achieve through sufficiently large windows and skylights in our living and working environments.

The WELL Building Standard, which above all measures and standardises structural measures for the health and well-being of building users, was the first system to establish guidelines to ensure the integrity of the circadian rhythm.

Visual and thermal comfort

All sustainability certificates stress the importance of daylight. However, they do certainly make a difference in terms of the weighting of related aspects such as solar protection and glare protection, the outside view, colour rendering, availability of daylight or room temperature.

Even if standards are specified for the measurement and calculation of the evaluation criteria, they remain characteristics that we perceive subjectively. “By combining automation and individualisation, Halio glass makes a major contribution both towards the energy goals of building operators and to people’s feeling of well-being”, explains Jagger. The advantages of as much daylight as possible are counterbalanced, especially in summer, by the adverse effects of glare or overheating. Users have the option of changing the tint of each individual glass pane themselves via apps, local control panels or voice assistants. The central control and regulation unit for the automatic optimisation of daylight incidence and thermal comfort is the Halio cloud. Here all the parameters such as the users’ individual preferences, building use, location, the alignment of the façades and the weather conditions are tracked and recorded.

With a colour rendering index of 97%, Halio cannot be distinguished from conventional glazing in its untinted state. The view outside remains unobstructed and due to the fact that mechanical solar protection can be dispensed with when using dimmable glazing, the connection with the outside world is not lost even when the glazing is gently tinted. With a maximum light transmission of 65 % in the double glazing version, Halio is positioned in the range of normal solar control glazing. In a completely darkened state, the light transmission level decreases to 2% and 95% of the radiation input is kept out. Halio glazing switches to an even shade of grey in under three minutes without any blue cast or volatile gradients. “This may not win any sustainability points, but it does win a lot of recognition from architects and users,” laughs Robert Jagger.

Daylight and energy input can be dynamically optimised using switchable glazing

Conservation of resources 

The use of electrochromic glazing offers yet another sustainability benefit: in a lot of cases they contribute towards a simplification of the façade design.

The adaptive double façade that was originally planned is replaced by space and raw material saving element façades or mullion and transom constructions. Smart insulating glazing improves the energy performance of the façade, reduces complexity and makes a positive contribution towards the overall balance of the raw material cycle.

About Halio International

As the exclusive supplier of Halio products and services to the building industry, Halio is a joint venture between AGC, the world’s largest flat glass manufacturer, and Kinestral Technologies, Inc., which develops and manufactures Halio smart-tinting technologies. The joint venture comprises two entities: Halio North America and Halio International. The partnership leverages the partners’ respective strengths and knowledge: AGC’s reputation in the building industry and 100+ years of experience in glass technologies and Kinestral’s innovative, patented smart-tinting technologies.

Article courtesy of Halio International