What role does glass facade play in sustainable and green building certification projects?

Glass facades contribute to certification when engineered for energy efficiency and material transparency. High-performance IGUs, low-e coatings and thermally broken frames reduce HVAC loads and earn energy credits in LEED and BREEAM; in Abu Dhabi’s Estidama, facade thermal performance and shading are specifically weighted. Daylighting strategies that meet daylight autonomy without glare support wellbeing credits and reduce lighting demand. Material disclosure—Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), recycled aluminium content and responsibly sourced glass—supports materials and lifecycle credits. Designing for maintenance and reparability extends service life and lowers embodied carbon over the asset’s lifetime. Dynamic glazing and operable shading can achieve additional innovation credits if validated by whole-building simulation. For metal curtain wall suppliers, providing documented thermal calculations, test reports and EPDs enables developers in Gulf and Central Asian markets to substantiate certification claims and allocate credits effectively.