ABSTRACT
The growth of Western urban landscapes in the aftermath of World War II brought new standards of com-fort and convenience; one of the emblematic products of this modernization was glazing. Openings became larger, enhancing transparency and bringing abundant light; however, they also led to considerable heat loss. It became imperative that glazing play a part in insulating buildings. This article traces the history of glaz-ing insulation across the second half of the 20th century. Focusing on case studies of residences in France and Belgium and industry archival material, this article analyses the wide variety of glazing products that were developed between 1950 and 1990. Although all of them significantly improved thermal comfort, each conditioned the relationship between indoor and outdoor climates in a different way. In response to increas-ing demands for energy efficiency, sealed insulated glazing ultimately became ubiquitous, bringing about a profound transformation of our relationship with our environment.
