On 27th September 2011, the BBC reported that there had been a development in window design which could have unprecedented benefits for every property owner.

Originally reported in the journal ACS Nano, this new type of window, which has been deemed the “Smart” window by industry professionals, instantaneously adapts as the weather changes.  When temperatures are high and the sun is out, the window darkens to cool the interior of the building and when temperatures turn colder, the window become more transparent in order to capture any heat it can from the sun.  This astonishing new development was created in South Korea, by scientists from the Korea Electronics Technology Institute and Soongsil University; Ho Sun Lim, Jeong Cho and Jooyong Kim.

Although there are already windows on the market which adapt to the changing weather conditions, they do not do so automatically, and are not cost-effective or environmentally friendly to run.  The adaptive windows currently on the market are powered by electricity; there are charged ions in between the panes of glass, which change the window from transparent to opaque when the electricity is switched on.  These windows therefore require manual operation by someone within the building.  Some of the existing models have also been deemed chemically unstable and quite complex to process and maintain.  Such windows can also be expensive to install and run, as they require additional electrical equipment.  These disadvantages stop the windows from being a viable option for many organisations, as they can become costly and inconvenient.

The new windows developed by the Korean Scientists will completely revolutionise the adaptive-window industry, and provide countless benefits to those that have them installed.  Unlike previous types, these windows contain a special polymer and counterions, a different type of particle to the ions found in previous windows, alongside methanol and other solvents.  The differences in components means that the windows can instantly, without intervention from a person, alter between transparent and opaque as the weather changes.

This instantaneous switch has great advantages to property owners.  Firstly, it makes the product highly convenient, as the windows do not need to be operated manually, allowing those in the building to enjoy the benefits without distraction from their other tasks.

These windows will also benefit the property owner financially.  They are being marketed as a great energy-saving product, as they will make savings on heating, lighting costs and air-conditioning bills.
As the windows dim as the sun shines, they reflect away much of the sun’s rays.  This prevents the interior of the building from becoming excessively hot, which therefore saves the property owner additional air-conditioning costs.
In the winter, when the windows are transparent, the clear windows allow as much of the sun’s light and warmth into the building as possible.  This means that those inside the building will benefit from the sun, and the heating and lighting facilities of the building will not need to be used as frequently.
The instant effects of these windows allows the building to benefit from energy-saving qualities immediately, and as frequently as possible.

As an energy and cost-saving product, these windows will provide any property owner with countless advantages that can’t be obtained by other windows on the market.  The Science Daily commented on the launch of this product, suggesting that this type of window could be installed anywhere, from skylights and windows in homes, to larger windows in conference rooms and offices.  The potential uses of this product, and the benefits that coincide with this, could therefore positively effect home owners, as well as commercial property owners; everyone who uses it could make a saving.

This exciting new development for property owners, and those responsible for maintaining the windows on buildings, follows last year’s development in the creation of liquid glass.  This fine spray reduces the cost of window cleaning for property owners, as once it is applied it protects them from every-day damages and scratches.  At Newlife Cleaning Systems, as we provide window cleaning services to many types of property in many different industries throughout the UK.  We find it encouraging that developments such as this are taking place, as they will save the much-needed funds of the many organisations we work with.

Sources:
The original BBC article can be found at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-15076773
The article in Science Daily can be found at: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110921132346.htm

First published 5 years ago Crisis in Cleaning by Scott Young is an invaluable tool for any cleaning contractor or manager with responsibility for premises cleaning especially where hard floors are involved.

In it he willingly shares 56 years experience in the industry with a career spanning window cleaning to building cleaning contractor then on into manufacturing of cleaning equipment based and designed on his many years of practice in the field.

What this book is about is one mans quest to explain the importance of professional cleaning.

It is mandatory reading for all Newlife Cleaning Systems Area Managers which is the highest endorsement we can give.

It doesn’t matter whether you have just started your first commercial contract or you’re a facility manager with a ‘slip and trip’ problem in your client’s kitchens. The answer is in this personal journey to excellence.

A limited number of copies are available, P+P free, to the first 50 readers who register their interest.

please email sales.national@newlifecleaning.com with your postage and contact details

Columbus Dixon Aug 2010

An Australian company has recently won the window cleaning contract for the 24,000 windows of the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, formerly known as the Burj Dubai. The building extends 206 storeys into the sky and will be cleaned by both man power and machines. A squad of 36 window cleaners have been employed to operate the 12 machines which are anchored to fixed tracks on the exterior of the ‘superscraper’. These 13 ton machines will attempt to purge the building’s facade of dirt despite the inhospitable working conditions of Dubai’s desert climate. They will be up against the scorching sun, raging dust storms and high winds of the desert, alongside the force of gravity acting upon them from their perch half a mile above the ground. It should also be noted that the window cleaners operating the machines themselves will be harnessed to the machine for the duration of the cleaning process.

Alongside these machines ladderless window cleaners equipped with electrolyte packs and specially developed suits to combat the desert’s fierce heat will clean the lower levels by hand. Even with both man and machine working in harmony the process of cleaning the Burj Khalifa’s 120,000 sq metres of glass is expected to take around three months. Due to this the window cleaners and their £4.6 million washing system will be operating for the majority of the year. However, when the state of the art cleaning system is not in use the machines are to be concealed at various heights behind specially constructed glass panels in order to keep the building’s facade looking pristine. Despite the multimillion pound equipment being employed to keep the pearl of Dubai’s windows clean it is important to remember that the window cleaners will be armed with nothing more than the conventional squeegee, soapy water and elbow grease.

Recent developments in the field of nanotechnology have led to major breakthroughs which are to revolutionize the way window cleaning is performed in future. The technical named for this new nanotechnology is “Si02 ultra thin layering” but most people know it as liquid glass. The diversity of possible applications for this Liquid Glass is simply astonishing. It can be used to coat floors, doors, windows, settees, trains, the list goes on, in fact it is nearly impossible to conceive of a surface that it cannot be used upon.

The benefits of the Liquid Glass are numerous. Alongside being food safe and environmentally friendly it is also scratch resistant and corrosion resistant. The coatings are around 500 times thinner than a human hair and so are not visible to the naked eye. One benefit of this is that they can be used to coat domestic products such as settees in order to protect the surface and also make cleaning an easier process. The stain resistant coating even allows protected surfaces to be cleaned with water alone, this reduces the need for cleaning chemicals and so benefits the environment. The green credentials of Liquid Glass contributed to it winning the Green Apple Award and its anti-bacterial properties also earned it the NHS Smart Solutions Award.

It is the versatility of Liquid Glass that is truly remarkable. It can be used in almost any environment to reduce cleaning costs by both reducing the frequency of cleans and the duration of the cleaning process. These properties make it an invaluable tool when tackling jobs such as large scale window cleaning where one coating on the outer layer of glass would drastically reduce the costs involved in such a large scale operation. Perhaps the owners of the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa, should bare in mind the benefits of nanotechnology and especially liquid glass as it could well be the most versatile coating in the world.