The building envelope of the 61-story Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences at 1 Dalton St. in Back Bay is primarily glass. An argon gas filled air space combined with metallic coatings produces a high shading coefficient and an energy-efficient insulating value.

Innovations are continuously evolving in the building trades, now and throughout history. 

Architects rely on current technology and construction techniques to advance the quality of our built world. Technological innovations have historically challenged the way we build. 

Consider the advancements over time from stone bearing walls, the arch, columns, glass, the modern steel frame, glass curtain wall and sustainable designs. New technologies and materials on the horizon will soon join this list, altering our buildings, making them more energy independent, adapting to individual users needs and transforming our interactions with the spatial environment. 

So, what are the innovative trends in design today that will be the standard tomorrow?  

In our practice we see three areas of innovations that are radically affecting the industry: high-performance building envelopes, building materials advancements and electronic technologies that respond to user needs. 

The building envelope is the epidermis, and like our skin, it protects, shields, admits light, “breathes” and controls temperature for the safety and comfort of its occupants. It has evolved from simply protecting us from the elements to becoming an integral component of the building’s mechanical system. It is an all-important driver of the high-performance building, contributing greatly to sustainability and energy conservation.  

Our recently completed Williams College bookstore project was designed with an exterior envelope which achieved superior energy performance. This project used conventional materials of brick, wood and glass with a building envelope that includes a tightly-sealed, thicker than average wall which is super insulated to maintain appropriate interior temperatures with the least amount of energy. This design achieved an energy use intensity that is 41 percent better than baseline. The aesthetic of the building is enhanced by the depth of the wall and the shadows it forms and fenestration generate. Importantly, this building is anticipated to achieve LEED Platinum requiring less energy and using no fossil fuels. 

Gary Johnson

Efficient Floor-to-Ceiling Windows 

At the Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences One Dalton St., a new 61-story tower in Boston, the building’s envelope is primarily glass. At first glance one may question how this building can perform in an age of energy consciousness. 

With an argon gas filled air space, combined with low emissivity and crystal gray metallic coatings, the glass composition of the tower produces a high shading coefficient and an insulating value that is highly energy efficient, resulting in optimal comfort for its occupants while providing stunning floor-to-ceiling views of the city. 

Building materials are rapidly evolving. Today’s material choices include a panoply of ingenious and cost-effective new materials or methods of producing traditional ones. As architects, we scrutinize each component to make sure the material is sustainable while maintaining a lasting quality. 

Recently, we discovered a traditional material, wood siding, that is thermally modified through a process that heats wood to a very high temperature in a controlled atmospheric environment. The result is a transformation of the molecular structure of the wood that makes it decay- and insect-resistant, dimensionally stable, non-toxic and requiring no finish for a maintenance-free material. We are using this highly sustainable product as the exterior cladding on a new project, The Roux Center for the Environment, at Bowdoin College. 

Integrated computer technologies are current trendsetters in building design. It’s hard for architects and owners to keep up with the rapid advancement of these technologies which allow a building to adapt to its environs and users. 

A sampling includes elevators that recognize who is entering the cab and where they want to go without ever touching a button, walk-off floor mats that act as security detectors to alert officials of drugs or weapons and lighting devices that simulate the sun’s intensity and color hue throughout the day, providing a natural effect for interior lighting. We are using these and many more technologies in our One Dalton project. 

Building innovations will continue. Some may be fads while others will become permanent components of architecture. One thing is certain, innovations improve our lives through sophisticated, energy-savvy and responsive interfaces that will seamlessly integrate into our future built environment.

Gary Johnson is president of Cambridge Seven Assoc.