David Owen on the marketing shenaningans of energy saving high tech window manfucaturers. It is hard these days to find a "green" building that doesn't come with floor to ceiling windows that should ring alarm bells with even the most intellectually challenged buyers. 
The embodied energy in manufacturing these greatest of consumer level windows is absurdly high. They can easily be the most expensive parts of the building, starts leaking from day one and will be unusable after 20-30 years. Even the cheapest walls provide more green credentials.
Great for Peeping Toms though.
By all means build windows, but size them according to climate, use, orientation, and function. Forget about the high tech nonsense that won't last. And make them beautiful.
Let me end with a Tokyo anecdote: a very famous architect lives in my neighborhood and has built a modernist monstrosity with huge glass windows fronting the street. I see it every day. The only time I have seen the windows "in use" was on the triumphant TV documentary about it.
