Thermal Analysis of Glazed Curtain Wall with Vertical Shading

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João Pereira

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Oct 23, 2025, 3:16:42 PMOct 23
to Berkeley Lab WINDOW

Good afternoon,


I am interested in performing a thermal analysis of a glazed curtain wall to evaluate:

  1. The maximum glass and cavity temperatures under different solar orientations, and
  2. The risk of thermal shock breakage.

 

This is a particular case since the façade includes vertical external shading blades, positioned approximately 0.8 meters in front of the glazing — not directly adjacent to the curtain wall (see the image below).

 

 

Could any of your software tools simulate the impact of these external shadows on the façade? Specifically, I would like to assess how partial shading of the glass (depending on solar angle and blade position) may influence the temperature differentials across the glass and consequently the risk of thermal shock breakage.

 

Can i perform this analysis with software WINDOW?
Is there any software capable of performing this type of analysis?

Thank you,

João Pereira

Collin Robinson

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Oct 23, 2025, 3:42:00 PMOct 23
to Berkeley Lab WINDOW
João, For evaluating the effects of external, non-coplanar shading I suggest looking at COMFEN software, also published by LBNL. I don't know that it gets into the IGU surface temperatures, though it does incorporate some parts of WINDOW. In WINDOW, the SHGC conditions are calculated with sunlight whose angle of incidence is normal to the glass. Sounds like you're looking for a way to evaluate risk on an annual basis, not just at one moment. I have never evaluated breakage risk. Please report back with results!


Best,
Collin

D. Charlie Curcija

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Oct 23, 2025, 5:34:58 PMOct 23
to João Pereira, Berkeley Lab WINDOW
You can model this case using vertical blind model in WINDOW.

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