Glass Selection for High-Rise Buildings in the United Arab Emirates Considering Orientation and Window-to-Wall Ratio

Abstract

This paper is the continuation of a previous paper published by the authors. Both papers are for a study that considers the relationship among the glass thermal characteristics, its cost, and the price of electricity. This paper significantly expands the study by adding commercial buildings typology, considering two major building orientations and taking into account five different window-to-wall ratios. Energy prices and glass prices are also updated. Using the life cycle cost analysis technique, best thermal properties of glass are identified for different design scenarios. Considering that the results can differ with changes in input data, a sensitivity analysis is carried out to understand the impact of changing key input data. The results show that the building typology, orientation, and window-to-wall ratio are not the determining factors for identifying the best glass properties. They also show that the variation in price increase for different glass types is a critical factor in identifying the best glass properties.