[Image via Suntech]
So I was going through last month’s Architecture Record and as an unlicensed architect working in building production (not design) I tend to spend more time and effort looking at the products advertised instead of the featured buildings. One of the products that jumped out at me is Suntech’s See Thru photovoltaic vision glazing. This product utilizes insulated glazing technology to apply a thin photovoltaic film on the interior surface of a glazing panel and can turn “clear” glass into a solar array. Some examples of this in action can bee seen here.
If this product was used in addition to the thin film roof membrane I previously mentioned here, I think that many more structures – residential and commercial – could easily be turned into parts of a large scale distributed power generator. In addition, achieving the LEED point for on site energy creation would be much easier to achieve without having to design a building with all flat roofs and solar arrays. The new Green Architecture Symbol may very well be glass. Think of it, the International Style might actually be suitable as an international style; the Farnesworth House could be an icon of self sustainability instead of a symbol of architectural ego triumphing over nature and place.