ABSTRACT
[This chapter traces double-skin façade (DSF) architecture from its vernacular origins to the earliest occurrences and experimentation with the façade type in Europe and North America. Precedents of screened buffer zones and glazed buffer zones are discussed, as is the emergence of double-wall construction. The text identifies a number of themes impacting the evolution of DSF that have emerged from changing social and political contexts: light, heat, health, thermal comfort, ventilation, acoustics, and energy. These themes emerged and layer on over time, bringing increasingly complex performance requirements to enclosure design. Milestones in the development of glazing, curtain walls, and mechanical heating and cooling systems are identified for their influence on façade design. Innovative buildings combined emerging technologies in original ways to form the earliest examples of double-skin architecture in Europe and North America.]
