Double facade or climate facade

ING House, head office at Zuidas, Amsterdam The Netherlands © Mig de Jong

In more luxurious commercial buildings, double-glazed facades or so-called climate facades are used. These are facades consisting of a layer of double glass on the inside and a single layer of glass on the outside. Between these facades, a cavity of a few centimetres to more than a metre is created with a layer of air in between. This air in the cavity can be used in two ways. At the bottom and top of the cavity are vents that regulate air flow. In winter, the vents are closed to create a stagnant layer of air for insulation and in summer, the cavity is ventilated to the maximum to remove the warmed air in the cavity. Because of the chimney effect, the warm air rises to the top, this can be done without additional fans. This system was devised to enable the desired glass facades in non-residential construction combined with low energy consumption. Thus, energy for cooling and heating can be saved. Solar shading can also be applied in the cavity.