High Efficient Reflective Windows: Where Does the Energy Go?

The change to green technology has new design considerations.  The move from more traditional glazing to high efficient reflective windows have been damaging landscapes and adjacent buildings throughout the country.  Damage ranges from burnt landscaping, melted siding and intense sun burns. The Vdara Hotel, designed by Rafael Viñoly’s high profile New York architecture firm, achieved a LEED® Gold certification from the US Green Building Council. It incorporates high efficient window technologies. The tower has an extruded crescent-shaped — combined with the building’s high performance windows make the Vdara act like a giant parabolic reflector, focusing solar heat into what hotel employees are now calling “the Vdara death ray.”   The building’s concave south-facing wall basically acts like a giant lens…creating the same phenomena that allows you to start a fire with a magnifying glass, but on a much larger scale. Unfortunately, the Vdara’s concentrated heat hits the ground where the hotel’s pool happens to be located.

Guests have complained about burnt hair and melted plastic cups.  The solution at this time is to provide umbrellas to the guests that are effected.  This phenomenon is not only happening in Las Vegas but here in Boise.  As new green products are introduced, building designs will need to consider the effect on the overall surrounding environment.  The energy that is reflected away from buildings by efficient windows will need to be considered similarly to water that flows off of sites.  What other design considerations should we be looking at as we design with green technologies in the future?

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