4 ms·

I dislike how much glass is used in many of these houses. I imagine they let a LOT of ambient noise and heat inside.

LargoLasskhyfv 6y ago
Usually those aren't built next to highways, train tracks, industrial zones, airports etc. Do you have a problem with wind, water, and birds?
ehnto 6y ago
You might be surprised at how capable the right glass can be. I have never felt cosier than when I stayed at a bed and breakfast with what must have been glazed/airgapped floor to ceiling windows for one wall. It overlooked a raging ocean as it was storming, with alpacas on the porch, and you couldn't hear any of it. I can't speak for radiant heat though, as I was there in winter. You might be right there.
- afthonos 6y ago
  That sounds amazing. Do you have a link, by any chance?
  - ehnto 6y ago
    Seafarers Getaway, along the Great Ocean Road, Victoria Australia: https://seafarers.com.au/ https://seafarers.com.au/ I went in winter. It's surrounded by the Otway Rainforest, a very unique ecosystem with some pretty awesome hikes and waterfalls! I live in Aus, so I just drove there, but there is a bus line that takes you from Melbourne along the Great Ocean Road you could use if you're coming from overseas.
    - afthonos 6y ago
      Thanks! Australia is far for me, but I’ll file it away. :-)
nullc 6y ago
You can build windows that have sound attenuation greater than common wall construction. My office at home has a series of 62"x80" windows effectively forming the walls on two sides of four sides, and smaller windows covering on one side. I had the windows built as 3/16"-PVB_laminate-1/4"-1/2"_gap-1/4". The lamination and the different thicknesses detune the panes, and the large mass provides a lot of attenuation. You can hardly hear someone standing outside yelling. People often comment how quiet it is after they step inside and close the door. [It also helps that I don't have any computers in the room-- just display/keyboard and long fiber displayport cables to a rack in another room.] These windows aren't particularly exotic... basically just the minimum you might to do design for a lot of attenuation. Here is a comparison chart (from a quick google): http://girardglass.com/uploads/stc_rating_chart.pdf http://girardglass.com/uploads/stc_rating_chart.pdf Similarly for thermal insulating properties. Modern coatings can reject an enormous amount of heat-- enough that in some designs its preferable to us less effective coatings because the windows face the morning sun and the heat gain is beneficial.
- lostlogin 6y ago
  > You can hardly hear someone standing outside yelling. I’ve got to ask - was this a test or are people regularly yelling outside your office?
  - bryanrasmussen 6y ago
    home office, kids. I'm guessing.
  - nullc 6y ago
    It was an unexpected complication after replacing the windows: I didn't realize my partner was summoning me by yelling from outside until it stopped working. :)
- teruakohatu 6y ago
  Can you explain what "3/16"-PVB_laminate-1/4"-1/2"_gap-1/4" means? Is that four layers of glass?
WalterBright 6y ago
I've lived in houses that had too little glass, and one with too much. The one with too much glass rendered half the house uninhabitable certain times of the day in the summer. If you're going to have glass like that, you'll need some sort of external shutter for it.
- nullc 6y ago
  Ample eves and solar coatings can make a phenomenal difference.
robjan 6y ago
It's easy to fix that by triple+ glazing windows and adding filters to the windows. Source: work in a glass skyscraper
ghaff 6y ago
I've spent time in houses on the Maine coast that have a lot of glass on the side of the house facing the ocean. Even without any AC, they were perfectly comfortable for the vast majority of the year. And the only real noise you hear is lobster boats. If you have a view, it really makes sense to design a house in a way that maximizes the view. I'm not sure I'd go as far as some of these designs but the glass ones look pretty nice to me. (Some of the others not so much.)

Usually those aren't built next to highways, train tracks, industrial zones, airports etc. Do you have a problem with wind, water, and birds?

ehnto 6y ago

You might be surprised at how capable the right glass can be. I have never felt cosier than when I stayed at a bed and breakfast with what must have been glazed/airgapped floor to ceiling windows for one wall. It overlooked a raging ocean as it was storming, with alpacas on the porch, and you couldn't hear any of it. I can't speak for radiant heat though, as I was there in winter. You might be right there.

afthonos 6y ago
That sounds amazing. Do you have a link, by any chance?
- ehnto 6y ago
  Seafarers Getaway, along the Great Ocean Road, Victoria Australia: https://seafarers.com.au/ https://seafarers.com.au/ I went in winter. It's surrounded by the Otway Rainforest, a very unique ecosystem with some pretty awesome hikes and waterfalls! I live in Aus, so I just drove there, but there is a bus line that takes you from Melbourne along the Great Ocean Road you could use if you're coming from overseas.
  - afthonos 6y ago
    Thanks! Australia is far for me, but I’ll file it away. :-)

nullc 6y ago

You can build windows that have sound attenuation greater than common wall construction. My office at home has a series of 62"x80" windows effectively forming the walls on two sides of four sides, and smaller windows covering on one side. I had the windows built as 3/16"-PVB_laminate-1/4"-1/2"_gap-1/4". The lamination and the different thicknesses detune the panes, and the large mass provides a lot of attenuation. You can hardly hear someone standing outside yelling. People often comment how quiet it is after they step inside and close the door. [It also helps that I don't have any computers in the room-- just display/keyboard and long fiber displayport cables to a rack in another room.] These windows aren't particularly exotic... basically just the minimum you might to do design for a lot of attenuation. Here is a comparison chart (from a quick google): http://girardglass.com/uploads/stc_rating_chart.pdf http://girardglass.com/uploads/stc_rating_chart.pdf Similarly for thermal insulating properties. Modern coatings can reject an enormous amount of heat-- enough that in some designs its preferable to us less effective coatings because the windows face the morning sun and the heat gain is beneficial.

lostlogin 6y ago
> You can hardly hear someone standing outside yelling. I’ve got to ask - was this a test or are people regularly yelling outside your office?
- bryanrasmussen 6y ago
  home office, kids. I'm guessing.
- nullc 6y ago
  It was an unexpected complication after replacing the windows: I didn't realize my partner was summoning me by yelling from outside until it stopped working. :)
teruakohatu 6y ago
Can you explain what "3/16"-PVB_laminate-1/4"-1/2"_gap-1/4" means? Is that four layers of glass?

WalterBright 6y ago

I've lived in houses that had too little glass, and one with too much. The one with too much glass rendered half the house uninhabitable certain times of the day in the summer. If you're going to have glass like that, you'll need some sort of external shutter for it.

nullc 6y ago
Ample eves and solar coatings can make a phenomenal difference.

robjan 6y ago

It's easy to fix that by triple+ glazing windows and adding filters to the windows. Source: work in a glass skyscraper

ghaff 6y ago

I've spent time in houses on the Maine coast that have a lot of glass on the side of the house facing the ocean. Even without any AC, they were perfectly comfortable for the vast majority of the year. And the only real noise you hear is lobster boats. If you have a view, it really makes sense to design a house in a way that maximizes the view. I'm not sure I'd go as far as some of these designs but the glass ones look pretty nice to me. (Some of the others not so much.)