Ahead of his keynote at the architecture forum at glasstec 2026, Prof. Stefan Behling of Foster + Partners discusses how advances in glazing, artificial intelligence and adaptive façades are changing building design.
Behling’s work with glass technology live, which he initiated three decades ago with his team at the University of Stuttgart, explored self-supporting glass structures, structural domes, vacuum glazing, honeycomb systems and advanced coatings. Some concepts remained experimental, while others contributed to technologies now used in construction. This approach to experimentation also influenced Foster + Partners’ work on projects such as Apple’s buildings, where structural glass helped reduce visible supporting elements and increase transparency.
For Behling, one of the most promising developments is spectral selectivity: controlling which wavelengths of solar radiation pass through glass and which are reflected. Beyond improving U-values and reducing solar heat gain, glazing must manage heat and glare while maintaining daylight conditions that support human wellbeing.
Artificial intelligence could help architects assess thousands of design combinations, accounting for façade orientation, solar radiation, future climate scenarios, embodied carbon, operational energy, daylight, structural requirements and cost. The objective is better-performing buildings with less material and lower energy consumption. 
Climate change also demands façades that can be upgraded rather than replaced. Retrofitting existing buildings through improved glazing, shading, ventilation and insulation will become increasingly important. Behling compares adaptive façades to a sailboat, adjusting its sails to changing conditions: buildings should respond similarly to sunlight, temperature and ventilation needs.
He also highlights the relationship between daylight and human physiology, calling for closer collaboration between architects, engineers, doctors and neuroscientists. The challenge is to balance climate resilience, energy performance and occupant health in the buildings of the future.
Source: glasstec 2026 with additional information added by Glass Balkan
