Prism Glass Windows Making a Comeback

Steve Daley writes "Prism window glass like Luxfer was big back in the 19th century, but now it seems to be making a high-tech comeback in Japan, where several companies are commercializing similar technology that gets enough natural light into factories and offices to do away with electric lighting. It's easy on the pocket and the planet."

Comments

Re:Neat, it is very much like...

[peacefinder]

The article appears to describe two different products, a "light tube" similar to a Solatube and also a prism-glass window. I believe it's the prism window pictured.

It's a good idea, and a pity that it's so expensive. Hopefully the cost will come down again in time.

Re:150 year old house

[cowscows]

I design buildings for a living, and am involved in a lot of projects that consider sustainable design important. One of the most interesting things about sustainable design as it's evolving right now is how many of its basic principles are really just rediscovering all the techniques that were used for hundreds (or even thousands) of years before air conditioning was invented. Old houses have plenty to teach us.

One of the best ways to design a house for natural lighting is to pretend that youo won't have any artificial lighting. It's a limitation that architects spend centuries finding solutions to. There are plenty of good answers out there. New technology and new materials are helping to create new answers, but it doesn't have to be anything crazy or even innovative. The same thing goes with heating/cooling strategies, there's a bazillion little design "tricks of the trade" that are incredibly straight-forward and easy. You don't need state-of-the-art materials, you don't need computer design tools, you don't need to be a highly educated architect. People were finding solutions to these problems hundreds of years ago when all they had to build out of was mud bricks.

The important part is how we can use technology to augment those techniques (things like low-e glass), or how we integrate those techniques with newer technologies (A/C, solar panels, etc.)