Building Regulations and Planning Permissions

Sustainable Home Design & Architectural Glazing

It is imperative that sustainable home design and architectural glazing facades work in harmony to achieve optimal thermal performance while adhering to Building Regulations.  

The race to reach zero carbon within the built environment has never felt with such immediacy. Implementing sustainable designs into every build or home renovation is essential in order to reduce carbon emissions and keep in line with RIBA’s 2025 targets as a minimum and 2030 targets wherever possible. 

Poorly insulated buildings and inefficient cladding and glazing are the largest offenders of carbon emissions within the home, invariably leading to significant increase in energy consumption. 

RIBA’s stepped approach towards reaching net zero by 2050 looks at the reduction of operational energy by 60% reducing embodied carbon by at least 40% (meaning looking at the lifecycle analysis of materials within the build of the whole life carbon), reducing potable water by 40% (as outlined by CIBSE). The building envelope encompasses all structural and cladding materials and importantly, the glazing.  

This informative article will offer some insights and tips for architectural glazing with sustainable design. 

Modern architectural glazing in sustainable design 

The evolution of architectural glazing has significantly contributed to energy-efficient building designs and changed the way architects use glass in the built environment.  

With the recent amended Part L1 to existing dwellings and Part L1 to new build dwellings , designers have clear and strict guidelines on conservation of fuel and power, ensuring good thermal insulation to all external facades.  

Sustainable home design encompasses a variety of strategies aimed at minimising the environmental impact of a building while maximising its energy efficiency and comfort. This can involve factors like orientation, layout, insulation, ventilative cooling, and the use of renewable energy sources. The ultimate goal is to create a building that reduces energy consumption, carbon emissions, and resource use over its lifecycle. 

Thermal breaks in glass frames 

The thermal break within the housing of glass creates low thermal conductivity between two or three glass panels reducing heat loss from inside to outside through the frame maintaining a more stable indoor temperature and reducing energy consumption for heating or cooling. 

Glass coatings for thermal efficiency 

Dual coatings improve thermal performance and can be applied on both sides of the glass, typically to reflect heat away using solar control coating on the internal panel of the external glazing unit, and on the other side, a low-e coating to reduce heat loss during colder months. All of which is outlined in Building Regulations Approved Document O (overheating). 

Controlling solar gain in the built environment sits high on the agenda of architects and as one of their guiding principles, great design should not ‘cost the earth’. 

Vacuum glass and triple glazing

It is recommended to use Triple glazing for oversized elevations of glass which offers the ultimate thermal performance, as does Vacuum glass. These thermal insulating glazing systems hold a hefty price tag with vacuum glazing costing around 35% more than triple glazing. These thermally superior systems can reach impressive heights with the same slimmest sightlines as double glazed systems meaning that there is no compromise on the design, and if anything, visionary architects can ‘pull out all the stops’ with their ambitious designs.  

Low carbon glass 

ORAÉ^® glass is the new low carbon glass by Saint Gobain produced by combining high recycled glass content using renewable energy achieving reduction of embodied carbon by more than 40%.  This low carbon glazing system would be recommended for the most stringent of sustainable building goals.

Sustainability with Architectural Glazing 

Our Sustainability in architectural e-Book was launched in accordance with the latest Building Regulations looking at cradle-to-cradle sustainable designs in glazing systems as a useful resource for specifiers.    

Sustainability and Aluminium Framed Glazing 

Aluminium is widely used for its lightweight, strong, and infinitely recyclable qualities in the building sector and is arguable the most sustainable building material in the world.  

Aluminium is resistant to rust or corrosion, making it an obvious choice of glazing frame for coastal glazing projects  

In harsh marine environments. Aluminium windows are highly recommended for marine environments because of its hardwearing and resilient nature.

Sustainability and Steel Framed Glazing

Steel is inherently strong, durable and completely recyclable. In fact, steel plays an important part in the circular economy since it uses less energy to produce than years ago, plus, new steel combines more than 30% recycled content.  

Steel windows and doors  possess a timeless quality which continues to remain a popular choice in various types of projects including barns, period properties, and new builds. 

Featured Sustainable Builds with IQ Glass 

Glovers Barn 

Glovers Barn, a Grade II listed barn underwent a complete renovation to achieve a sustainable dwelling with thermally efficient large frameless sliding glass windows and doors with structural roof glazing to reflect its original design highlighting the lattice steel diagrid structural beams cleverly continuing the design throughout the extension.  

The high performance aluminium framed windows installed within Glovers Barn increases energy efficiency with its thermally broken for insulation, and reduces solar gain with the added specialist metal oxide coating which reduces temperature transfer across the framing. 

Claywood House 

Claywood House combines high performance bespoke glazing with innovative green power sources to create a sustainable five bedroom home.  

Claywood House featured on Grand Designs TV.  

A red brick and timber clad exterior with minimal framed floor to ceiling sliding glass doors easily accessible to the garden was prominent feature throughout the new build.  

 Working alongside the architects, the team at IQ designed every aspect of the glazing with sustainability in mind. This specialist glazing package utilised a wide variety of systems including slim sliding doors, structural glazing, steel framed fire rated doors and frameless effect Invisio roof glazing. 

Greenways

Greenways, an 9000 sqft eco home in Yorkshire, uses expansive elevations of high performance glazing both internally and externally. The new build included minimal windows sliding glass doors, frameless glass balustrades, slim framed aluminium windows and frameless windows as well as a frameless glass link. 

 

Supporting Sustainable Specifications Within UK Regulatory Frameworks

Architects delivering sustainable homes and residential developments in the UK are increasingly required to demonstrate compliance against a range of environmental benchmarks, from statutory building regulations through to voluntary best‑practice standards. Architectural glazing plays a measurable role within these frameworks, influencing operational energy use, overheating risk and whole‑life carbon outcomes.

Early collaboration with a specialist glazing partner can support compliance across multiple UK sustainability pathways by ensuring that glazing performance is accurately defined, documented and coordinated with the wider technical specification.

Aligning Glazing Performance With Part L and Energy Modelling

Under Part L 2021 (Conservation of Fuel and Power) and in anticipation of the Future Homes Standard, glazing performance remains a critical component of the building fabric. Architects are required to evidence thermal efficiency and solar control performance at both element and system level.

As part of the specification process, IQ Glass can support design teams by providing verified glazing performance data suitable for SAP and SBEM modelling, including:

• Uw values for complete window and door assemblies

• g‑values and solar factors to support overheating assessments

• Frame and thermal break performance impacting linear transmittance

• Glass build‑ups aligned with Part L limiting values and notional dwelling targets

This information can be issued at detailed design stage in a format consistent with energy assessment requirements, allowing performance assumptions to be validated before submission.

Supporting RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge Targets

For practices working to the RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge, glazing specification must contribute meaningfully to reductions in both operational energy demand and whole‑life carbon. This requires a more granular understanding of product performance than standard regulatory minimums alone.

Where supported by manufacturer documentation, IQ Glass can assist by:

• Identifying glazing configurations that contribute to reduced operational energy demand

• Providing performance data to support space heating intensity targets

• Coordinating glazing strategies that balance daylight provision with solar gain control

By aligning glazing specifications with RIBA 2030 benchmarks early in the design process, architects can reduce reliance on compensatory measures later in the scheme.

Embodied Carbon and Whole Life Carbon Assessment

Embodied carbon reporting is increasingly expected as part of planning submissions, client sustainability briefs and voluntary assessments. In the UK, this is often addressed using methodologies aligned with Whole Life Carbon Assessment (WLCA) principles as set out by RICS and LETI guidance.

To support this process, IQ Glass can assist design teams by:

• Supplying Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for glazing and framing systems where available

• Identifying lower‑embodied‑carbon glazing options where supported by supplier data

• Providing material composition and system‑level information suitable for WLCA inputs

• Coordinating glazing data to avoid generic assumptions being used in carbon calculations

This enables glazing to be accounted for accurately within whole‑building carbon models rather than being treated as a nominal allowance.

Reducing Overheating Risk in Line With Part O and CIBSE Guidance

With the introduction of Part O (Overheating) in England, glazing design must now demonstrably limit overheating risk in residential buildings. Factors such as orientation, glass area, solar control coatings and opening strategy all influence compliance.

Through early technical engagement, IQ Glass can help architects assess how glazing specification interacts with Part O requirements by:

• Advising on solar control glass options and associated g‑values

• Supporting opening strategies using sliding or pivoting systems for purge ventilation

• Reviewing system suitability against orientation and shading assumptions

This information can support both simplified and dynamic thermal modelling approaches.

Making Specification Writing More Efficient

Architects are often required to compile glazing performance data across multiple frameworks simultaneously, from building regulations through to client sustainability targets. IQ Glass routinely supports architects during technical design by assembling the relevant glazing documentation into specification‑ready formats, reducing the manual effort required to gather and validate this information.

By providing coordinated performance data, environmental documentation and technical clarifications, the glazing package can be integrated more efficiently into:

• NBS specifications

• Employer’s Requirements

• Planning sustainability statements

• Design and Access Statements

This collaborative approach helps reduce specification risk while supporting clearer alignment between design intent and delivered performance.

A Technical Partner for Sustainable Projects

For UK projects targeting compliance with Part L, Part O, Future Homes Standard readiness, RIBA 2030 or Whole Life Carbon reporting, early engagement with a specialist glazing team supports better technical outcomes. Rather than treating glazing as a late‑stage product selection, integrating specialist input at specification stage allows glazing to function as a contributing element within the project’s sustainability strategy.

IQ Glass works alongside architects to ensure glazing systems are selected, specified and documented in a way that supports both regulatory compliance and long‑term environmental performance.

Are you working on an ambitious project requiring highly thermally efficient sustainable glazing? 

Contact the technical team today!