At 50, Every Building Has the Façade It Deserves 

The George Orwell quote that gives this blog its title—“At 50, every man has the face he deserves”—is relevant to my topic in more ways than one. One of my recent blogs mentions that 2026 is Technical Glass Products’ (TGP) 50th anniversary. What I didn’t mention is that I also turned 50 this year. And just a short drive from TGP’s headquarters, Freeway Park in Seattle is also celebrating its 50th anniversary. 

The park features some incredible brutalist concrete structures that are reminiscent of another 50-year-old structure, The Wotruba Church in Vienna. In fact, there are many examples of brutalist concrete use in the mid-70s. Now, we know concrete is not the most sustainable building material and builders have adapted with more environmentally friendly approaches to construction. 

This got me thinking—what about glass? What boundary-pushing glass buildings are there from that time? And what transformations were happening to make glass more sustainable? 

A glass building and an energy crisis 

The John Hancock Tower in Boston is a prime example of glass-centered design from the mid-70s. While the building has achieved some infamy due to its engineering flaws, it is still an architectural achievement that created a legacy of minimalist glazing still celebrated in building design today. John Hancock Tower’s design uses the largest possible panes of glass, eliminates spandrel panels and keeps its mullions to a minimum. 

The design teams behind the project could pull off these choices because glazing was going through some major transformations in response to the 1973 energy crisis. Improvements like double-glazed insulating glass units, low-emissivity films and structural silicone glazing shifted glass from simply an aesthetic design element to a key component of thermal performance and safety.  

These technological developments set the stage for glass to be a crucial material in solving challenges in more sustainable construction. Today, as Steve Selkowitz noted in a presentation a few years ago at an NGA Glass Conference, glass is and will continue to be integral to sustainable building design. 

Glazing’s role in today’s sustainable structures 

There are many current options for glazing that support operational efficiency and reductions in the environmental impact. And performance benefits of these options are much more nuanced than the developments in the mid- to late 70s. For instance, modern glazing now can be designed to be bird-friendly and shift opacity in response to sunlight intensity. Manufacturers can also provide documentation that the materials, procurement and fabrication of glazing assemblies are healthy for the planet and occupants.  

Documents like Declare Labels, Environmental Product Declarations and Health Product Declarations give designers transparency about the make-up, engineering and end-of-life protocols for an architectural product, so they can make the most eco-friendly decisions for their projects. These labels are also integral for earning credits toward LEED v4, LEED v5 and Living Building Challenge certifications. 

These advancements, along with performance improvements for security as well as fire and life safety, allow glass to take a versatile role in designing future-forward buildings. 

Looking ahead to 2076 

Over the last 50 years, the innovation in glazing—from a material and manufacturing perspective—is quite impressive. As our industry continues to solve construction challenges, it is important to keep our eyes and minds on the future. 

The 2030 benchmark for sustainability is right around the corner. Likewise, as AI takes a larger role in the development of low-impact, occupant-centered buildings, energy efficiency in commercial construction will become more significant and nuanced.  

These and other considerations may make sustainable approaches to design less of a “nice to have” and more of a necessity. So how will we in the glazing rise to meet these challenges?