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An energy-efficient building envelope, or skin, could just be one of the holy grails of sustainability. In a ground-up building, the exterior surfaces provide opportunity for both success and failure in energy-efficiency. One element of the envelope that is especially susceptible to issues is the window. I reviewed one of the articles on www.buildinggreen.com for smart windows. The article focused primarily on electrochromic (responsive to electrical current) windows and also added some notes regarding a newer technology of thermochromic (responsive to heat) windows. The electrochromic windows offer controllability for the occupant by tinting themselves when a switch is flipped. This tinting can assist with daylight and passive solar issues. However, they are also subject to users leaving them in the on position and therefore may use more energy than intended. The thermochromic windows have the potential to be a more automatic solution by tinting themselves when the window is subjected to a certain amount of heat gain. However, these may restrict daylight and views. The technology of smart windows will be interesting to view in the years to come.