North, South, East and West: The Environmental Approach to Transparent Design

Abstract

Architecture has always been interested in transparency but this characteristic has strong implications for energy performance. For many years architecture has neglected this factor but today, in a time when society has developed an awareness of the carbon footprint, architecture must restructure its approach and process. Transparency is still possible but its implications must be taken into consideration from the very beginning of the process: when façades are designed with respect solar exposure and the advantages of internal natural ventilation, transparency becomes sustainable in terms of energy balance in addition to contributing to architectural expression.