Building Material

Introduction: Curtain Wall Design in Museum Architecture Museum architects face a fundamental tension: protecting sensitive exhibits from light while creating an inviting public space. The Grammy Museum Mississippi in Cleveland offers a compelling case study in how curtain wall systems resolve this conflict. The one-story, 28,000-square-foot facility, valued at $20 million, features a 30-foot tall […]

Window film offers building owners and specifiers a cost-effective strategy for improving building performance without the full expense of window replacement. Whether applied in new construction or as a retrofit on existing glazing, modern window films address multiple challenges simultaneously: solar heat gain, ultraviolet (UV) damage, occupant comfort, and even safety from glass breakage. At

Modern building façades rely on glass to deliver transparency, natural light, and aesthetic appeal. Among the most critical yet often overlooked components of these façades is spandrel glass – the opaque glass panels that conceal structural elements between floors. Unlike vision glass, which provides views and daylight, spandrel glass serves the equally important function of

When specifying structural framing systems for commercial construction projects, selecting the right material requires careful evaluation of strength, durability, cost, and code compliance. Cold-formed steel (CFS) has emerged as a preferred choice for mid-rise buildings, offering specifiers a combination of lightweight handling, noncombustible performance, and dimensional stability that few high-performance building materials can match. Understanding

Extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and severe across North America, placing unprecedented stress on the built environment. From hurricanes and tornadoes to wildfires and prolonged heatwaves, buildings must withstand forces that were once considered beyond normal design parameters. While structural framing and foundation systems bear the primary loads, it is often the protective

Flagpoles are a distinctive architectural element on commercial, institutional, and municipal properties, yet they are frequently specified with errors that compromise both aesthetics and structural performance. Proper flagpole specification requires understanding of the relevant standards, mounting methods, material options, and common pitfalls that specifiers encounter. This article covers the key specification standards and material selection

Understanding the thermal performance of building envelope components is essential for architects, specifiers, and construction professionals who design energy-efficient structures. Among the lesser understood but highly effective insulation strategies are reflective insulation systems (RIS), which use low-emittance surfaces and enclosed air spaces to resist heat transfer. These systems have been employed in building construction across

Cross-Laminated Timber in Tall Buildings: Material Properties That Make Mass Timber a Viable Structural System Cross-laminated timber (CLT) has moved from experimental curiosity to a legitimate structural framing system for mid-rise and high-rise construction. Architects and engineers are specifying CLT for buildings that push well beyond the traditional height limits of wood construction, leveraging its