first off... 'paned'...double paned.
Glass has a lower R value than say an insulated wall but generally you have a window there anyways so it is portion of the wall that is more insulated versus say curtain wall.
Many towers are build like that because of:
1. architectural look/style
2. design standards
3. precedent of its competing towers
4. speed of construction
"Can you make a building look as if it has a glass glaze but actually have the inside walls not be walls of windows???"
of course, you can do anything. Remember that a large portion of those "windows" are not open usable space behind it... but slab, HVAC spacing etc.
You can do amazing buildings without curtain wall though, look at gems like the empire state, chrysler etc.
__________________
"The destructive effects of automobiles are much less a cause than a symptom of our incompetence at city building" - Jane Jacobs 1961ish
Wake me up when I can see skyscrapers
|