Blog/News
How facade design is shaping the future of energy efficiency
For all the talk of solar panels and heat pumps, one of the most powerful tools in the fight against energy waste is often overlooked. The humble building facade. It is the interface between a building and its exterior, often determining how much heat seeps in or...
Why ‘Part Z’ could redefine commercial property restoration
We recently explored how the construction industry is a major contributor to global carbon emissions, pumping around 39% of all global energy-related carbon emissions and 43% of all greenhouse gas emissions into Earth’s atmosphere. Although there’s still no UK...
Restoration Deep Dive: The whys and hows of commercial glass facade restoration
We’ve often looked to the past in the 30+ years of See Brilliance history. Recently, we explored the history and progression of glass facade architecture. There was much to learn; from the Shard’s references to sailboats and churches to the chamfered surfaces of the...
Proactive or reactive? How commercial facade restoration can reduce maintenance challenges
In 2021, a study by the professional body RICS (Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors) found that 35% of the lifetime carbon emissions emitted by a typical office property are produced before the building ever opens. In other words, more than one-third of the carbon...
Why prefabricated facade systems could revolutionise commercial construction
The facades of commercial buildings have played a critical role in shaping our towns and cities for centuries. Notable examples of this go back hundreds of years when architects used glass to create grand and vast facade systems like the original Crystal Palace...
The sustainability revolution in Britain’s commercial property sector
Sustainability has emerged as a driving force reshaping the landscape of commercial building practices across the UK. With a growing awareness of environmental challenges and the imperative to mitigate climate change, the UK commercial property sector has undergone a...
New facade technologies for a sustainable future
The humble facade – the outer skin of our homes, offices, warehouses and retail shops – is undergoing a metamorphosis. Once just a barrier between indoors and out, it's becoming a dynamic, intelligent system that can generate energy, regulate temperature, and even...
5 heritage sites you should visit in 2024
Rewind thirty years and you'll find See Brilliance at the beginning of an exciting journey about breathing new life into treasured historic buildings. In this highly specialised area of historic structure restoration, we’ve been fortunate enough to work on some of the...
Why ‘whole life carbon’ is changing the commercial property sector
In March last year we analysed the importance of embodied carbon in the commercial building sector. Our research found that buildings and the built environment are responsible for an astonishing 39% of all global energy related carbon emissions and 43% of all...