{"id":36954,"date":"2020-01-16T15:15:26","date_gmt":"2020-01-16T13:15:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.propertyshark.com\/Real-Estate-Reports\/?p=36954"},"modified":"2025-04-10T14:40:13","modified_gmt":"2025-04-10T11:40:13","slug":"if-glass-facades-are-out-what-will-nyc-skyscrapers-use","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.propertyshark.com\/Real-Estate-Reports\/2020\/01\/16\/if-glass-facades-are-out-what-will-nyc-skyscrapers-use\/","title":{"rendered":"If Glass Facades are Out, What Will NYC Skyscrapers Use?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Building designs change rapidly, with materials going in and out of fashion all the time. However, glass has been a steady favorite for facades due to its elegance and low cost. But, comments late last year by New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio regarding the banning of \u201cglass and steel skyscrapers\u201d have sparked conversations about what could replace these materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The driving force behind this change is sustainability, with eco-friendly buildings increasingly in demand. Plus, standard glass is highly energy inefficient \u2013 letting in heat when it\u2019s too warm outside and leaking heat when it\u2019s cold. Consequently, buildings rely on extensive HVAC systems to counter these effects, which also use vast amounts of energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a result,\u00a0alternative facade\nmaterials are moving into the mainstream. Here are some of the facades of the\nfuture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>Kinetic Facades<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Kinetic and dynamic facades change with time. They can be programmed to respond to climatic factors, allowing you to boost your energy efficiency by blocking sunlight, and also to improve the aesthetics of your building. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Al Bahr Towers in Abu\nDhabi<\/a> are just one example of kinetic\nfacades. Their exterior is made up of a series of opening and closing panels\nthat respond to the sun\u2019s movement throughout the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>Fiber-Reinforced Materials<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Glass Fiber-Reinforced Plastic\n(GFRP) and Glass Fiber-Reinforced Concrete (GFRC) are two modern materials that\nare gaining popularity thanks to their eco-friendly credentials. Both materials\nuse less energy to manufacture compared to aluminum or glass production. Furthermore,\nboth are also used in cladding panels and for ornamental concrete that\u2019s used\nto form domes, fountains, and statues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>Self-Cleaning Concrete<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Self-cleaning concrete is another\nnovel material that can clean itself and filter pollutants out of the air,\nallowing the concrete to retain its color for far longer than conventional\nmaterials. It\u2019s also durable and doesn\u2019t need to be replaced as often. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The self-cleaning concrete cleans itself using the power of the sun. When heat and light hit the surface, catalysts use the energy to break down dirt particles, including carbon dioxide, water and nitrates. The materials release gases and any liquid or solid particles remain on the surface to be washed away by rain. A similar process breaks down pollutants in the air.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, there are some ecological concerns around self-cleaning concrete. Though the building stays clean, waste particles are released back into the environment. The manufacture of this material can also release pollutants, and there is evidence<\/a> that, in certain conditions, the material can increase nitrogen oxide levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>Solar Squares<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Researchers at Exeter University in\nthe UK recently developed building blocks made of solar cells. These\ntransparent blocks let in sunlight while transforming some of the sun\u2019s energy\ninto electricity. The blocks also provide a layer of thermal insulation. This\nresearch recently spun out as its own startup company, and the blocks are now\navailable as a building material.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brick, Stone, & Copper<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Traditional materials are seeing a comeback, too. Architects in New York are reportedly returning to stone, wood, and copper as alternatives to the glass that has been used to cover the city\u2019s skyline. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, a pair of copper-clad skyscrapers<\/a> were recently constructed by the East River. As the copper develops a green patina, buildings like these will fit in nicely with New York\u2019s classic, copper-clad landmarks, such as the Statue of Liberty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>Weathered Steel<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Steel alloys are low-maintenance\nfacade materials.\u00a0Compared to traditional, low-carbon steel grades,\nweathered steel provides more corrosion resistance and is stronger. This is\nbecause the steel is already weathered and \u201crusted,\u201d so there\u2019s no need to\nrepaint it. Moreover, its performance is retained for decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the future of skyscraper construction in New York City<\/a> may be in a state of flux, the trend towards sustainable development is here to stay. Whether the ban is implemented or not, developers and architects could benefit from familiarizing themselves with alternative building materials.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Building designs change rapidly, with materials going in and out of fashion all the time. However, glass has been a steady favorite for facades due to its elegance and low cost. But, comments late last year by New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio regarding the banning of \u201cglass and steel skyscrapers\u201d have sparked conversations…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":63,"featured_media":36955,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[376,328,388,796,10609],"tags":[11173,11088,11087,11089,11086,11091,11172,11090],"class_list":["post-36954","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-new-york-commercial-real-estate","category-new-york-real-estate","category-real-estate-broad","category-how-to","category-useful-tools","tag-announcement","tag-building-facade","tag-concrete-facade","tag-eco-friendly","tag-glass-facade","tag-green-building","tag-old-how-to","tag-sustainable-design"],"yoast_head":"\nIf Glass Facades are Out, What Will NYC Skyscrapers Use? - PropertyShark Real Estate Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"If \u201cglass and steel skyscrapers\u201d are banned, what could replace these materials as developer's go-to design and construction materials for facades?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.propertyshark.com\/Real-Estate-Reports\/2020\/01\/16\/if-glass-facades-are-out-what-will-nyc-skyscrapers-use\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"If Glass Facades are Out, What Will NYC Skyscrapers Use?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"If \u201cglass and steel skyscrapers\u201d are banned, what could replace these materials as developer's go-to design and construction materials for facades?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.propertyshark.com\/Real-Estate-Reports\/2020\/01\/16\/if-glass-facades-are-out-what-will-nyc-skyscrapers-use\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"PropertyShark Real Estate Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-01-16T13:15:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-04-10T11:40:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.propertyshark.com\/Real-Estate-Reports\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/98\/2020\/01\/feature_facades_1920x1280.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Patrick McGregor\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Patrick McGregor\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"If Glass Facades are Out, What Will NYC Skyscrapers Use? - PropertyShark Real Estate Blog","description":"If \u201cglass and steel skyscrapers\u201d are banned, what could replace these materials as developer's go-to design and construction materials for facades?","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.propertyshark.com\/Real-Estate-Reports\/2020\/01\/16\/if-glass-facades-are-out-what-will-nyc-skyscrapers-use\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"If Glass Facades are Out, What Will NYC Skyscrapers Use?","og_description":"If \u201cglass and steel skyscrapers\u201d are banned, what could replace these materials as developer's go-to design and construction materials for facades?","og_url":"https:\/\/www.propertyshark.com\/Real-Estate-Reports\/2020\/01\/16\/if-glass-facades-are-out-what-will-nyc-skyscrapers-use\/","og_site_name":"PropertyShark Real Estate Blog","article_published_time":"2020-01-16T13:15:26+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-04-10T11:40:13+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1920,"height":1280,"url":"https:\/\/www.propertyshark.com\/Real-Estate-Reports\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/98\/2020\/01\/feature_facades_1920x1280.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Patrick McGregor","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Patrick McGregor","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.propertyshark.com\/Real-Estate-Reports\/2020\/01\/16\/if-glass-facades-are-out-what-will-nyc-skyscrapers-use\/","url":"https:\/\/www.propertyshark.com\/Real-Estate-Reports\/2020\/01\/16\/if-glass-facades-are-out-what-will-nyc-skyscrapers-use\/","name":"If Glass Facades are Out, What Will NYC Skyscrapers Use? - PropertyShark Real Estate Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.propertyshark.com\/Real-Estate-Reports\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.propertyshark.com\/Real-Estate-Reports\/2020\/01\/16\/if-glass-facades-are-out-what-will-nyc-skyscrapers-use\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.propertyshark.com\/Real-Estate-Reports\/2020\/01\/16\/if-glass-facades-are-out-what-will-nyc-skyscrapers-use\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.propertyshark.com\/Real-Estate-Reports\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/98\/2020\/01\/feature_facades_1920x1280.jpg","datePublished":"2020-01-16T13:15:26+00:00","dateModified":"2025-04-10T11:40:13+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.propertyshark.com\/Real-Estate-Reports\/#\/schema\/person\/c4b8bd92d517f49f64d90afedab8ec29"},"description":"If \u201cglass and steel skyscrapers\u201d are banned, what could replace these materials as developer's go-to design and construction materials for facades?","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.propertyshark.com\/Real-Estate-Reports\/2020\/01\/16\/if-glass-facades-are-out-what-will-nyc-skyscrapers-use\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.propertyshark.com\/Real-Estate-Reports\/2020\/01\/16\/if-glass-facades-are-out-what-will-nyc-skyscrapers-use\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.propertyshark.com\/Real-Estate-Reports\/2020\/01\/16\/if-glass-facades-are-out-what-will-nyc-skyscrapers-use\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.propertyshark.com\/Real-Estate-Reports\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/98\/2020\/01\/feature_facades_1920x1280.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.propertyshark.com\/Real-Estate-Reports\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/98\/2020\/01\/feature_facades_1920x1280.jpg","width":1920,"height":1280,"caption":"Facades"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.propertyshark.com\/Real-Estate-Reports\/2020\/01\/16\/if-glass-facades-are-out-what-will-nyc-skyscrapers-use\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.propertyshark.com\/Real-Estate-Reports\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"If Glass Facades are Out, What Will NYC Skyscrapers Use?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.propertyshark.com\/Real-Estate-Reports\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.propertyshark.com\/Real-Estate-Reports\/","name":"PropertyShark Real Estate Blog","description":"Market Reports for Real Estate Writers","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.propertyshark.com\/Real-Estate-Reports\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.propertyshark.com\/Real-Estate-Reports\/#\/schema\/person\/c4b8bd92d517f49f64d90afedab8ec29","name":"Patrick McGregor","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.propertyshark.com\/Real-Estate-Reports\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f5b90aa64c1da6b7d4a441251c5a4e3fe2d972d8c339810e2eea50def586669b?s=96&d=retro&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f5b90aa64c1da6b7d4a441251c5a4e3fe2d972d8c339810e2eea50def586669b?s=96&d=retro&r=g","caption":"Patrick McGregor"},"description":"Patrick McGregor is a senior writer covering the real estate industry and overall economic trends in the United States for several Yardi product publications. He also holds an MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management. Patrick was previously a commercial real estate analyst at Yardi Matrix for five years. His work has appeared in the New York Times, Bisnow, GlobeSt, The Real Deal, Business Insider, The Denver Post, The Motley Fool, and more.","sameAs":["patrick.mcgregor@yardi.com"],"url":"https:\/\/www.propertyshark.com\/Real-Estate-Reports\/author\/patrickmcgregor\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.propertyshark.com\/Real-Estate-Reports\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/98\/2020\/01\/feature_facades_1920x1280.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.propertyshark.com\/Real-Estate-Reports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36954","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.propertyshark.com\/Real-Estate-Reports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.propertyshark.com\/Real-Estate-Reports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.propertyshark.com\/Real-Estate-Reports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/63"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.propertyshark.com\/Real-Estate-Reports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36954"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.propertyshark.com\/Real-Estate-Reports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36954\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36961,"href":"https:\/\/www.propertyshark.com\/Real-Estate-Reports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36954\/revisions\/36961"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.propertyshark.com\/Real-Estate-Reports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36955"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.propertyshark.com\/Real-Estate-Reports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36954"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.propertyshark.com\/Real-Estate-Reports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36954"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.propertyshark.com\/Real-Estate-Reports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36954"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}