A coated substrate having a coating and a method of forming the same is disclosed, wherein the coating includes a plurality of discrete layers. The coating includes three reflective layers, an alloy layer disposed between two of the reflective layers, and two oxide layers and has a total thickness of 4000 Å or less.

Methods for constructing and a building kit for use thereof are disclosed. The building kit includes a plurality of posts configured for embedding within square apertures of a foundation, wherein the posts have a cross-shaped cross-sectional shape, a plurality of cross-shaped cross-sectional shaped elongated members, a plurality of roof panels, wherein the roof panels include solar cells, and a plurality of wall panels having conforming shape to the cross-shaped cross-sectional shaped elongated members.

The present disclosure generally relates to infrared cloud detector systems and methods for detecting cloud cover conditions. The infrared cloud detector system comprises an infrared sensor, an ambient temperature sensor, and logic. The infrared sensor is configured to measure sky temperature based on infrared radiation received within its field-of-view. The ambient temperature sensor is configured to measure an ambient temperature. And the logic is configured to determine a cloud condition based on a difference between the measured sky temperature and the measured ambient temperature.

The panel unit includes a first panel, a second panel facing the first panel with a space provided therebetween the first panel and the second panel, a partition separating the space from a surrounding space, and a switching mechanism. The switching mechanism is located in the space for allowing a change in thermal conductivity between the first panel and the second panel. The switching mechanism includes at least one connector which is thermally conductive, and is switchable between a first state in which the at least one connector is out of contact with the first panel or the second panel and a second state in which the at least one connector is in contact with both the first panel and the second panel.

A low-cost high-performance Vacuum Insulated Glass is produced with three glass panes and bonding fiber mesh structures embedded between the glass panes. Each mesh structure is configured with elongated bonding fiber elements arranged in a grid configuration. The bonding fiber elements are formed with a fiber core covered with a low melting temperature material. The low melting temperature material melts upon heating and creates numerous vacuum sealed cells between the glass panes. The fiber core does not melt, and remains intact bonded to the glass panes, thus creating a support mechanism for supporting the glass panes at a spaced apart relationship.

A spacer member, for allowing a walkable skylight with an insulating glass unit to be created with a structural glass panel and a thermal glass panel. The spacer member includes a slab part and a tube part having substantially the same thickness. The tube part is hollow, containing desiccant material for absorbing moisture within the insulating glass unit. The spacer members may be joined together to create a spacer frame. The spacer frame defines an inner rectangular region. When the spacer frame is sealed between the structural glass panels and the thermal glass panel, an air gap is created within the inner rectangular region. The desiccant material effectively removes moisture from air within the air gap.

Insulating glass unit comprising at least one pair of glass panes and at least one partition member therebetween for dividing the space between the glass panes into insulating chambers, and a spacer (4) which is fixed between the two glass panes (3) along their circumferences and into which the partition member is anchored. The method for manufacturing the insulating glass unit comprises the following steps: a) preparing two glass panes (3) and a partition member, b) preparing a spacer (4) by bending a hollow profile and adapting the inner sides of the spacer (4) for anchoring the partition member to at least two portions of the spacer, c) preparing the partition member, c) anchoring the partition member into the spacer, d) fixing the spacer (4) between the two glass panes (3) so that one side of the spacer circumferentially adjoins the first glass pane (3) and the other side of the spacer circumferentially adjoins the second glass pane (3) and the partition member is straightened and/or tensioned.

A low emissivity coating 30 includes a plurality of phase adjustment layers 40, 50, 62; a first metal functional layer 46; and a second metal functional layer 58 located over and spaced from the first metal functional layer 48. A ratio of the geometric thickness of the first metal functional layer divided by the geometric thickness of the second metal functional layer is in the range of 0.6 to 1. The low emissivity coating 30 provides a reference IGU summer/day SHGC of at least 0.4 and a reference IGU winter/night U factor of no greater than 0.4 BTU/hr-ft-° F. (2.27 W/m2-K).

A coated article is provided with at least one infrared (IR) reflecting layer. The IR reflecting layer may be of silver or the like. In certain example embodiments, a titanium oxide layer is provided over the IR reflecting layer, and it has been found that this surprisingly results in an IR reflecting layer with a lower specific resistivity (SR) thereby permitting thermal properties of the coated article to be improved.

A substrate is coated on one face with a thin-films stack having reflection properties in the infrared and/or in solar radiation including at least one metallic functional layer, based on silver or on a metal alloy containing silver, and at least two antireflection coatings. The coatings each include at least one dielectric layer. The functional layer is positioned between the two antireflection coatings. The stack also includes a terminal layer which is the layer of the stack which is furthest from the face. The terminal layer is a metallic layer consisting of zinc and tin, made of Sn.sub.xZn.sub.y with a ratio of 0.1≦x/y≦2.4 and having a physical thickness of between 0.5 nm and 5.0 nm excluding these values, or even between 0.6 nm and 2.7 nm excluding these values.