GLASS
Architectural glass is glass that is used as a building material. It is most typically used as
transparent glazing material in the building envelope, including windows in the external
walls. Glass is also used for internal partitions and as an architectural feature..
Glass plays an essential role in the facade. A facade is a special type of wall. It separates
inside from outside. Glass is a uniform material, a solidified liquid. By its property of
transparency it opens up our buildings to the outside world. In modern architecture there
is tendency to open up our buildings by using very large facades that are as transparent as
possible.In the external wall, glass can be used as a curtain wall or structural glazing.Glass
is not essentially transparent. They are available in several opacities and various textures
and finishes.
COMPOSITION
Glass is made from the following raw materials: Sand; soda-ash; limestone; dolomite;
feldspar; sodium sulphate. These substances are themselves compounds of various
elements and a chemical analysis shows that flat glass is made up from the following
materials, used in various proportions:
Silica (S2O2) 71.0 to 78.0%
Alumina (Al2O3) 0.5 to 1.5%
Iron oxide (Fe203) 0.05 to 0.15%
Calcium oxide (CaO) 5.0 to 10.0%
Magnesium oxide (MgO) 2.0 to 5.0%
Sodium oxide (Na2O) 13.0 to 16.0%
Potassium oxide (K2O) 0.0 to 1.0%
Sulphur trioxide (SO3) 0.0 to 0.5%
TYPES OF GLASS
1. ANNEALED GLASS
It is normal annealed glass, though clear & transparent, it does posses some colour tint
usually greenish. It is due to presence of some impurities such as iron. Clear glass has very
high-energy transmission when exposed to sunlight. It provides a clear view of the objects
across it. A glass processed to prevent to remove objectionable stresses in it by controlled
heating at and / or cooling from a suitable temperature.
2. TINTED GLASS
You can use tinted glass to keep out the harmful ultra violet rays of the sun, which is also
very strong and hot. These glasses are developed with heat resistant materials, which are
capable of avoiding the harmful rays and also make sure that the heat is lowered. With
tinted glass doors and windows installed in your home, you can also save energy as you can
avoid turning on your air conditioner for extended periods.It is normal glass that is
coloured by the addition of metal oxides into molten glass. Tinted glass possesses filtering
properties that help reduce eyestrain due to dazzle. Its absorption properties help diminish
energy transmissions when exposed to sunlight. Tints like green allows more visible light
and cut out infrared radiation.Variations in the thickness of the glass would yield different
performance in terms of light and solar radiation transmission. Although darker shades
reduce the amount of heat being transmitted to the interiors, they also reduce the amount
of transmitted daylight.
3. PATTERNED, FIGURED OR ROLLED GLASS/ FROSTED GLASS
It is a decorative and translucent glass with figures or patterns on one face. In addition to
diffusing light and obstructing visibility from the outside, the figures soften the interior
lighting. This type of glass is usually more fragile and less convenient to clean. Patterned or
frosted glass is manufactured by etching, sandblasting or creating a pattern in the surface
of the glass. It can transmit light through it but the view is blurred, which means you cannot
see anything on the other side of the glass. This type of glass is a great choice where privacy
is needed.
USE: Interiors of the buildings, opaque glazing like bathrooms etc
4. WIRED GLASS
It has wire mesh incorporated during its production. Wired glass is
recommended for its fire protection property. In case of fire, the glass cracks but
broken pieces tend to remain in position restricting the spread of flame and
smoke for some time.
5.Ceramic printed glass
Also known as silk-screened glass for its appearance like a silk screen. Certain areas of
application make it important to mask a part or whole of glass for privacy or hiding the
background or enhancing the look of a product or for purely aesthetical reasons. The size,
density and colour would determine the opacity and shading whereas the variety of dots,
squares, checks and patterns will give many design combinations to achieve the desired
effect. It is not affected by moisture, oil, soaps, chemicals or detergents and retains its
original appearance though out the life of the glass.
6. LAMINATED GLASS
This type of glass is a form of safety glass that acts as a protecting from glass after
breakage. When shattered, these glasses have the capability of holding together and
provide resistance to the dispersion of objects. Laminated glass ensures high impact
resistance and can protect the construction from significant damage due to any breakage.
Laminated glass is made by fusing two or more layers of glass with inter-layers of polyvinyl
butyral (PVB) through the use of heat and pressure. The process creates a safety glass.
7. ENERGY EFFICIENT GLASS/ INSULATING GLASS
As the name suggests, these types of glass are capable of saving your energy bill. Developed
with energy efficient materials, these glass products can be used in the form of windows
and door for saving energy, adding to the appearance of the property, higher impact
resistance, less outside noise disturbance, and better insulation.The insulating glass is a
prefabricated unit made of two or more glass panes,separated by a cavity and edgeshermetically sealed together. This edge seal not only binds the individual sheets of glass
together to maintain the mechanical strength of the joint but also protects the cavity
between the glasses from outside influences. The moisture in the cavity between the two
glasses is controlled by desiccants filled in the perforated spacer. The spacer can be
aluminum, composite plastics etc. The spacer ensures the precise distance between the
glass panes. The cavity normally filled with dry air but can be also filled with gases such as
Argon, Krpton for better thermal performance or hydrogen fluro oxide for better acoustic
performance.
8. TOUGHENED GLASS
Toughened glass has more strength in comparison to the normal glass. The strength factors
of these glasses are increased by controlled thermal treatments so that internal stresses
can be balanced. When this glass breaks, you can find the shattered remains in small pieces,
unlike large and dangerous shards when ordinary glass is broken.Toughened glass is
treated to be far more resistant to breakage than simple annealed glass and to break in a
more predictable way when it does break, thus providing a major safety advantage in
almost all of its applications.
Toughened glass is made from annealed glass treated with a thermal tempering process. A
sheet of annealed glass is heated to above its "annealing point" of 600°C; its surfaces are
then rapidly cooled while the inner portion of the glass remains hotter. The different
cooling rates between the surface and the inside of the glass produces different physical
properties, resulting in compressive stresses in the surface balanced by tensile
9. REFLECTIVE GLASS
A metallic coating is applied to one side of the glass in order to significantly increase the
amount of reflection by the glass of both the visible and infra-red (light and heat) range of
the electromagnetic spectrum. This metallic coating can be applied to clear or body tinted
glass. The reflective glass imparts a mirror like appearance to the exterior of buildings
under most daytime conditions. Due to the coating of metal oxides on the glass, they are
widely applied as an aesthetic product in buildings for its highly reflective surface and its
wide palette of colours. It reduces heat gain and glare from the exterior and allows
optimum visible light transmission to the interior. It significantly reduces the
airconditioning load of the buildings. An exceptional property of solar reflective glass is
that the coating of metal oxides on the glass can be achieved without affecting the
transparency of the glass.
10. GLASS BRICKS
These are hollow glass units or blocks of glass shaped to work as bricks
Joined with the help of silicon sealants to obtain seamless finish
The two outer, exposed surfaces may be smooth or textured.
Glass blocks can be coloured and have decorated surfaces.
Walls of glass blocks meeting fire resistance are also possible.
Architectural glass is glass that is used as a building material. It is most typically used as
transparent glazing material in the building envelope, including windows in the external
walls. Glass is also used for internal partitions and as an architectural feature..
Glass plays an essential role in the facade. A facade is a special type of wall. It separates
inside from outside. Glass is a uniform material, a solidified liquid. By its property of
transparency it opens up our buildings to the outside world. In modern architecture there
is tendency to open up our buildings by using very large facades that are as transparent as
possible.In the external wall, glass can be used as a curtain wall or structural glazing.Glass
is not essentially transparent. They are available in several opacities and various textures
and finishes.
COMPOSITION
Glass is made from the following raw materials: Sand; soda-ash; limestone; dolomite;
feldspar; sodium sulphate. These substances are themselves compounds of various
elements and a chemical analysis shows that flat glass is made up from the following
materials, used in various proportions:
Silica (S2O2) 71.0 to 78.0%
Alumina (Al2O3) 0.5 to 1.5%
Iron oxide (Fe203) 0.05 to 0.15%
Calcium oxide (CaO) 5.0 to 10.0%
Magnesium oxide (MgO) 2.0 to 5.0%
Sodium oxide (Na2O) 13.0 to 16.0%
Potassium oxide (K2O) 0.0 to 1.0%
Sulphur trioxide (SO3) 0.0 to 0.5%
TYPES OF GLASS
1. ANNEALED GLASS
It is normal annealed glass, though clear & transparent, it does posses some colour tint
usually greenish. It is due to presence of some impurities such as iron. Clear glass has very
high-energy transmission when exposed to sunlight. It provides a clear view of the objects
across it. A glass processed to prevent to remove objectionable stresses in it by controlled
heating at and / or cooling from a suitable temperature.
2. TINTED GLASS
You can use tinted glass to keep out the harmful ultra violet rays of the sun, which is also
very strong and hot. These glasses are developed with heat resistant materials, which are
capable of avoiding the harmful rays and also make sure that the heat is lowered. With
tinted glass doors and windows installed in your home, you can also save energy as you can
avoid turning on your air conditioner for extended periods.It is normal glass that is
coloured by the addition of metal oxides into molten glass. Tinted glass possesses filtering
properties that help reduce eyestrain due to dazzle. Its absorption properties help diminish
energy transmissions when exposed to sunlight. Tints like green allows more visible light
and cut out infrared radiation.Variations in the thickness of the glass would yield different
performance in terms of light and solar radiation transmission. Although darker shades
reduce the amount of heat being transmitted to the interiors, they also reduce the amount
of transmitted daylight.
3. PATTERNED, FIGURED OR ROLLED GLASS/ FROSTED GLASS
It is a decorative and translucent glass with figures or patterns on one face. In addition to
diffusing light and obstructing visibility from the outside, the figures soften the interior
lighting. This type of glass is usually more fragile and less convenient to clean. Patterned or
frosted glass is manufactured by etching, sandblasting or creating a pattern in the surface
of the glass. It can transmit light through it but the view is blurred, which means you cannot
see anything on the other side of the glass. This type of glass is a great choice where privacy
is needed.
USE: Interiors of the buildings, opaque glazing like bathrooms etc
4. WIRED GLASS
It has wire mesh incorporated during its production. Wired glass is
recommended for its fire protection property. In case of fire, the glass cracks but
broken pieces tend to remain in position restricting the spread of flame and
smoke for some time.
5.Ceramic printed glass
Also known as silk-screened glass for its appearance like a silk screen. Certain areas of
application make it important to mask a part or whole of glass for privacy or hiding the
background or enhancing the look of a product or for purely aesthetical reasons. The size,
density and colour would determine the opacity and shading whereas the variety of dots,
squares, checks and patterns will give many design combinations to achieve the desired
effect. It is not affected by moisture, oil, soaps, chemicals or detergents and retains its
original appearance though out the life of the glass.
6. LAMINATED GLASS
This type of glass is a form of safety glass that acts as a protecting from glass after
breakage. When shattered, these glasses have the capability of holding together and
provide resistance to the dispersion of objects. Laminated glass ensures high impact
resistance and can protect the construction from significant damage due to any breakage.
Laminated glass is made by fusing two or more layers of glass with inter-layers of polyvinyl
butyral (PVB) through the use of heat and pressure. The process creates a safety glass.
7. ENERGY EFFICIENT GLASS/ INSULATING GLASS
As the name suggests, these types of glass are capable of saving your energy bill. Developed
with energy efficient materials, these glass products can be used in the form of windows
and door for saving energy, adding to the appearance of the property, higher impact
resistance, less outside noise disturbance, and better insulation.The insulating glass is a
prefabricated unit made of two or more glass panes,separated by a cavity and edgeshermetically sealed together. This edge seal not only binds the individual sheets of glass
together to maintain the mechanical strength of the joint but also protects the cavity
between the glasses from outside influences. The moisture in the cavity between the two
glasses is controlled by desiccants filled in the perforated spacer. The spacer can be
aluminum, composite plastics etc. The spacer ensures the precise distance between the
glass panes. The cavity normally filled with dry air but can be also filled with gases such as
Argon, Krpton for better thermal performance or hydrogen fluro oxide for better acoustic
performance.
8. TOUGHENED GLASS
Toughened glass has more strength in comparison to the normal glass. The strength factors
of these glasses are increased by controlled thermal treatments so that internal stresses
can be balanced. When this glass breaks, you can find the shattered remains in small pieces,
unlike large and dangerous shards when ordinary glass is broken.Toughened glass is
treated to be far more resistant to breakage than simple annealed glass and to break in a
more predictable way when it does break, thus providing a major safety advantage in
almost all of its applications.
Toughened glass is made from annealed glass treated with a thermal tempering process. A
sheet of annealed glass is heated to above its "annealing point" of 600°C; its surfaces are
then rapidly cooled while the inner portion of the glass remains hotter. The different
cooling rates between the surface and the inside of the glass produces different physical
properties, resulting in compressive stresses in the surface balanced by tensile
9. REFLECTIVE GLASS
A metallic coating is applied to one side of the glass in order to significantly increase the
amount of reflection by the glass of both the visible and infra-red (light and heat) range of
the electromagnetic spectrum. This metallic coating can be applied to clear or body tinted
glass. The reflective glass imparts a mirror like appearance to the exterior of buildings
under most daytime conditions. Due to the coating of metal oxides on the glass, they are
widely applied as an aesthetic product in buildings for its highly reflective surface and its
wide palette of colours. It reduces heat gain and glare from the exterior and allows
optimum visible light transmission to the interior. It significantly reduces the
airconditioning load of the buildings. An exceptional property of solar reflective glass is
that the coating of metal oxides on the glass can be achieved without affecting the
transparency of the glass.
10. GLASS BRICKS
These are hollow glass units or blocks of glass shaped to work as bricks
Joined with the help of silicon sealants to obtain seamless finish
The two outer, exposed surfaces may be smooth or textured.
Glass blocks can be coloured and have decorated surfaces.
Walls of glass blocks meeting fire resistance are also possible.
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