Role of Fenestrations in Commercial Buildings
Fenestration can be the most notable feature of a building — covering a range of design elements including doors, windows, skylights, glazing and curtain walls. While they are viewed solely as an aesthetic feature, they play an important role and can affect the performance of a building.
Form and Functionality:
Fenestration systems impact the functionality of the building. For commercial buildings, fenestrations support it all – they provide structural strength, value for money, life longevity, flexibility in design, a low-maintenance option and exceptional thermal performance. They can be cut and fabricated to specific shapes and sizes, and provide all-weather protection.
Impressions Matter:
Commercial and Retail premises need an attractive shop front that appeals to passers-by and turns them into valuable customers. Therefore, fenestrations are crucial in establishing a great first and ever-lasting impression. Curved or frameless shop fronts, double or single glazed windows, automatic doors, low-energy rated glass systems, and self-cleaning curtain walling are some solutions that can enhance the aesthetic and create a visual identity for the commercial brand itself.
High-Performance Sustainable Systems:
As the primary barriers between indoors and the outdoors, the openings of the building envelope, high performance windows, doors, and skylights are essential to the design of any commercial building. Therefore, choosing the right product becomes very important and involves several considerations, including appearance, energy performance, technical performance, maintenance and cost.
Fenestrations can easily be enabled to be energy-efficient, with areas covering – the U-value of the glazing to protect the building from heat transfer, the solar heat gain coefficient to boost energy performance, and visible light transmission that calibrates the amount of light entering a building. These three factors when taken into account can significantly enhance the comfort, energy-performance and liveability of the building.
