insights
The latest in curtain wall technology, Innovation Glass news, and more.
In Pursuit of Net Zero: Operational Carbon, Thermal Performance & Building Skin Enhancements in Curtain Wall Design
August 2026 was the hottest month on record, and the last 11 years have been the hottest 11 on record. This rapid increase in global surface temperatures is directly linked to the emission of greenhouse gases. Of those emissions, 27.3% of global CO₂ emissions come from operational carbon in the built environment: fossil fuels burned for the heating, cooling, and powering of buildings.
Climate Change & the Built Environment: Understanding the Scope of Embodied and Operational Carbon
Cathedral Thinking is a seven-part series about anthropogenic climate change and the role the curtain wall industry must play in reducing emissions from the built environment.
This post explores the scope of operational and embodied carbon in the built environment in the context of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Announcing: ‘Cathedral Thinking’
Cathedral Thinking is seven-part blog series about anthropogenic climate change and the role the curtain wall industry must play in reducing the emissions from the built environment. We will explore how we can build on the the foundation of the Paris Agreement—which was ratified ten years ago and whose targets we are already missing—and what contributions we can make to the cathedral of work that is the effort to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions.
We made it! Celebrating the 20 year VS1 journey
The genesis of the VS1 system can be traced to the early hours of a morning in 2004… Decades of curiosity and discipline converged in that moment: childhood afternoons spent constructing intricate Lego creations, the challenge of building a Buckminster Fuller tensegrity sphere from wood dowels and wire, and the experience of crafting three-dimensional architectural models in high school. Diverse experiences converged that morning, leading to the creation of the VS1 kit-of-parts—a bold new standard in structural innovation. This year, we are celebrating 20 years since that idea first became a reality.
Building Envelope Strategies: Comparing Unitized & Barrier Systems
For large scale projects the world over, the dominant system of choice is some version of a unitized curtain wall. This post explores the strengths and weaknesses of unitized systems and the barrier approach to facades, specifically a relative newcomer: the HPS system.
Strategies for Managing Corner Zone Wind Pressure
Five ways to optimize curtain wall corner design for cost and aesthetic: “Don’t let the tail wag the dog.”
VS1 Passes Miami-Dade High Velocity Hurricane Zone Certification TEST
We are pleased to announce that our VS1-A100 system has successfully passed the most rigorous wind and storm testing standards in the United States: the Miami Dade County Certification.
20 VS1 Projects that Pushed the Envelope
In celebration of 20 Years of Innovation Glass, we are kicking off 2026 by remembering 20 times our team pushed the envelope with the VS1 technology. From New York Harbor to Bangalore, subway stations to airports, world record spans to shattered glass allegories, VS1 has changed the architectural landscape and pushed the envelope of what is possible in curtain wall design.
Preserving Heritage
The M1 Bank renovation embodies a progressive approach to design, merging old and new while paving the way for a sustainable, low-impact future. VS1 is the ideal curtain wall system for preserving our architectural heritage with minimal environmental impact.
Let There Be Movement!
By applying rational thought and analysis to various wall conditions on buildings and developing appropriate details to accommodate the dynamic nature of building components and their performance, elegant, high performing façade solutions result that maximize value for owners and contribute to achieving excellent architecture.
Less Is More
In the end, everything in life comes down to details: the phrase at the start of a speech that becomes legendary, the perfect transition in a melody, the shape of a tree trunk to allow it to sway without falling… It is said that “God is in the details” and the person to whom this phrase is attributed is German-American modernist architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.
Hybrid Point-Supported Facade Technology
Quietly since 2006, a new curtain wall solution strategy has entered the built environment to offer better solutions to modern building envelope requirements: Hybrid Point-Supported.
Renovations by Innovation Glass
Innovation Glass offers renovation services with our entire suite of curtain wall technology. VS1 is extremely well suited for building rehab projects as it is responsive to existing structural conditions and able to accommodate significant in-plane movements and large vertical live loads.
Spring News and Projects Update
A newly launched custom projects page on the website, a sustainability workshop in NYC, VS1-g installations, and recently completed projects! Read more about all the latest VS1 news.
VS1 Detail Feature: Faceted and Folded Walls
The many design freedoms VS1 offers designers includes the creation of multi-faceted facades: an exterior building surface with 3-dimensional texture created by multiple fold lines in the exterior skin. The results can lead to bespoke architecture as seen below whilst still achieving excellent value for the owner by using the VS1 technology.
Autumn 2022: News and Projects Updates
A merit award for a dual wall at Dartmouth College, a sustainability workshop in San Francisco, and project updates! Read all the latest VS1 news!
Featured VS1 Detail: Segmented Walls
Among the many attributes of VS1 is the ability to create segmented walls. A segmented wall utilizes incremental flat glass segments to achieve a curved, stepped, or sawtooth aesthetic. For curved walls flat glass panels are possible in lieu of costly hot bent glass.
Reducing Operational Carbon in Facade Design
Our team works hard to decrease the "operational carbon" of buildings—the energy required to heat, cool, ventilate, and light a space—through smarter facade design.
Read more about reducing operational carbon in facade design→
Reducing Embodied Carbon in Facade Design
While many sustainability efforts have focused on the "operational" carbon footprint of buildings—energy used for heating, cooling, and lighting—our industry is now also focusing on "embodied carbon," the carbon footprint of building materials themselves.
VS1, a Tribute to the Classic Kit of Parts: LEGO
Influenced by many years of collecting and building LEGO®, Innovation Glass CEO Franz Safford invented a uniform kit of parts to allow for standardization of a new building methodology while also encouraging design freedom for the architect.