Glass for Architects

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What is the differences among all glass types? Learn them at once.

• Reflective glass: If we apply a metalic covering on one surface of normal glass, it becomes a reflective glass which is a kind of mirror. It reflects the light and so it protects inside environment from superfluous heat. Also it has a mirror effect and so it doesn’ t show the interior areas.

Reflective glass (photo by www.alucobondusa.com)

• Tinted glass: It can be produced by adding melt colorants to float glass. It reduces the penetration of heat and light.

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• Enameled glass: In other words, heat-strengthened or tempered glass whose one face covered with minerals. It is used for glazing and cladding, to achieve solar ray control.

Enameled glass (photo by www.sar-cam.com.tr)

• Insulated glazing: It consists more than one glass layers which are separated by a vacuum or gas filled space. Thanks to these spaces, it reduces the transmission of heat and noise.
• Low-E glass: Low-E means lowered emissivity; so this type of windows has lowered U-value which means less heat losses and greater resistance to radiant infrareds comes from sun. Briefly, while letting penetrate the visible light(healthy) into building, it reflects the nonvisible light(unhealthy). Its cost a little bit more than normal glass, on the other hand, it has capability of reducing the energy loss up to %50.
• Float(Annealed) glass: It is made by slowly cooling of the glass that is heated above the transition point; so it becomes annealed glass. Because of slowly and natural cooling; it has no stress in it; so it is a kind of weak glass, that’ s why it breaks into big parts when broken. You can use them to create a laminated glass.
• Tempered(Toughened) glass: It is made by a thermal treatment process, therefore it is a safety glass. If you broke it, it breaks into smaller and blunt pieces.
• Laminated glass: It comprises two glass layers and in between a resin layer. These two glass are bonded under pressure and heat. The resin between the glasses easify the bonding process and it increase the strenght of laminated glass. Also, resin doesn’ t allow to expanding of a crack from one side to other glass layer.
• Frosted glass: It is a kind of decorative glass.

Frosted glass (photo by www.obrienglass.com.au)

• Wired glass: It is known as safety glass because it doesn’ t allow smoke and fire to pass the behind of itself. Moreover, wires are important for holding the broken glass parts together.

Wired glass (photo by archipro.co.nz)

In summary, float or annealed glass is the glass that cooled slowly. Instead of cooling it in a standard way after taking from oven, if you chose the heat-treatment process you ahve two options: Heat-strength process of tempering process. Tempered glass is twice as strong as heat-strengthened glass which is  twice as stong as annealed glass. So you can understand that how tempered glasses are strong.

You nearly every kind of glass can be used to produce a laminated glass. Also by coating, the transmittance characteristics of glass can be changed depends on the needs. That’ s why there are lots of differences in window models, although they are all seem as same if you overlook.

Depending on the using oxides, resins, colorants, acids and with lots of parameters, producers are working to produce the most efficient window models to meet the needs of architects. The videos below will help you to understand the different glass types.

If you have further questions, just leave a comment below!