Research about Materials and Sustainability

Double-glazed windows:

In the early 1930s, American refrigeration engineer Charles D. Haven made the first double-glazed windows, which are also called insulating-glass windows. Haven's "Thermopane" system didn't have just one pane of glass. Instead, it had two panes of glass separated by an air gap and sealed around the edges with rubber strips. To keep condensation from forming on the inside of the glass, the air between the panes was dried out. Haven wrote about his idea in the Architectural Record in 1932, and on October 12, 1934, he got a patent for it.

Secondary glazing, also known as "Storm Windows," has been around for hundreds of years, but it doesn't have the sealed air gap that makes modern double-glazing what it is. Because there isn't a seal, condensation and convection currents can form in the space between the two layers of glass, making them much less effective at keeping heat in or out.

In the late 1930s, the Libbey-Owens-Ford (LOF) Glass Company teamed up with Haven and set up a subsidiary to make a lot of sealed units. The first double-glazed windows were sold in North America in 1938, but they were taken off the market the next year because the sealants kept breaking (which led to condensation).

After this failure, Haven and LOF engineer John Hopfield worked together to make a better system with better seals and chemicals that stop water from getting in. They got a patent for it in 1941, but because of the war, it didn't come back on the market in North America until 1946.

The John Hancock Building in Boston was the first major building to use double-glazed windows (today called the "Old John Hancock Building" to differentiate it from the 1976 skyscraper of the same name). As part of its design, this building used 16,205 Thermopane units. It also had a complete air conditioning system.

Here are some other things that can be used to insulate a building.

When you insulate a building with the right materials, you can cut your energy bills by up to 50%. There are many materials that can be used to insulate a home. This gives homeowners and builders a lot of options for making the inside more comfortable, lowering bills, and even making fires less likely and less dangerous.

Here is a quick list of the five most effective insulation materials, along with their R-values, to help you decide which one is best for your home (the measure of their thermal resistance).

Fibreglass:

Fiberglass is the most common type of insulation used today. Fiberglass is also called "glass wool." It is made by melting together recycled glass, soda ash, limestone, and other things until they become molten. Once the mixture has melted, it can be spun into thin fibres that can be woven into different shapes and thicknesses.

Fiberglass has an R-value between 2.9 and 3.8 (the higher the R-value, the better), and it is useful because it doesn't absorb water or catch fire. This makes fibreglass safe for use in homes, businesses, and factories. It also works well in small spaces like attics and basements.

Cellulose:

Cellulose is made from recycled paper and is not only a good insulator, but also very good for the environment. Before making a fibrous product that can be blown into small spaces in buildings, the cellulose is broken up into small pieces. You can put cellulose insulation in walls and ceilings that are already there. It is not just for new buildings.

Cellulose doesn’t trap air and so it’s also great at preventing the spread of fire, and with an R-value of 3.1 to 3.7, it’s more efficient than fibreglass.

Mineral fibres:

Mineral wool is used to make two different kinds of insulation. There's rock wool, which is a man-made fabric made from different natural materials, and there's slag wool, which is made from the slag that steel mills throw away.

About 75% of the available mineral wool is made from recycled materials and can't catch fire. It is often used as loose-fill and blanket insulation, where it has an R-value of between 2.8 and 3.5.

Polyurethane:

Polyurethane is a great way to seal small holes and cracks in buildings. Mixing different chemicals together makes a foam, which is then spread with a spray gun. It has an R-value between 3.8 and 6.3, but it costs more to install than fibreglass or cellulose.

Polystyrene:

Polystyrene is a thermoplastic foam that works well to keep heat and noise out. It can be expanded (EPS) or pushed out (extruded) (XEPS). The R-value of EPS is 4, while the R-value of XEPS is 5.5.

Polystyrene is popular in both homes and businesses because it has a smooth surface and is rigid. It comes in sheets or blocks that are put into walls.

To sum up:

Insulation materials are more important than ever now that many of us are trying to use less energy. When deciding which one to use for your build, you need to think about a few things. Most of a home's heat escapes through the ceiling and roof, so those are the best places for materials with high R-values. Walls and crawl spaces, on the other hand, can use materials with medium R-values.

Here also another freindly materials such as Precast Concrete

Concrete is a natural material that can be reused. This makes it a good choice for homes that are good for the environment. On-site concrete is better for the environment than pre-cast concrete. It is poured into moulds that have already been made and set over rebar or wire. Once the concrete is hard, it can be shipped and put into different buildings. Because of this, economies of scale can be reached with precast concrete that can't be reached with concrete that is poured on-site.

References:

https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/633156-first-commercial-double-glazed-windows#:~:text=The%20first%20double%2Dglazed%20windows,the%20edges%20with%20rubber%20strips.

https://elliotoliver.co.uk/the-five-most-efficient-insulation-materials

https://broadsword-group.co.uk/the-importance-of-eco-friendly-materials/