Transparent and translucent materials on facades and their performance in natural lighting: an overview of the international context and applicability in Brazil

Abstract

Since the 1980s, innovative transparent and translucent material technologies have been developed as a solution for issues related to thermal and luminous comfort caused by glazed facades. In this context, this article aims to present an overview of the innovative transparent and translucent materials employed on non-residential building facades, describing those which can be promising in Brazilian climates. Through the literature review, including journal articles, technical reports, theses and dissertations an overview of the main innovative materials is discussed. They can be divided into two categories: smart windows and light redirection systems. The electrochromic glazing stands out from other smart window technologies due its wider range of Solar-Heating Gain Coefficient and Light Transmission control. The micro-structured opticalcomponents are a promising technology because they allow a deeper reach of natural light into the depth of indoor environments. The conclusion of this paper is that there are still only few studies testing the applicability of these innovative materials in Brazil and that further studies are needed

Keywords:
Innovative translucent and transparent materials; Smart windows; Light redirection systems; Energy efficiency