Glazing has always been employed in architecture to convey and complement aesthetics. Its use exemplifies spaces, transitions between indoor and outdoor volumes, and modulates the amount of light penetration. With this in mind, glazing manufacturers are continually innovating new products to resolve the ever increasing demands imposed by designers. Whether it is curvilinear, textured, colored, laminated, etc., the increasing variety available is growing at an increasing rate.
As technology advances, the improvements in glazing technology proceed in parallel. High performance glazing is of particular importance in the current environment towards responsible and energy efficient design. New manufacturing processes are making extremely transparent glazing possible that admits significantly more visible light while mitigating glare, solar heat gain, and harmful UV rays. Oversized dimensions are another feature that continues to grow as manufacturing plants invest in their production facilities.
One example of architecture that employs advanced glazing technology is the Palais Quartier in Frankfurt, Germany. The towers are clad with Guardian’s Sunguard SuperNeutral 62 glass. The glazing has one of the highest solar-heat-gain ratios on the market with 62% visible-light transmission and a 0.31 solar-heat-gain coefficient.
Some of the glazing manufacturers that are producing interesting products include; Nathan Allen Glass Studios, Chromatics Glass Inc., PPG Industries, and Tubelight.
References: www.archrecord.construction.com, www.nxtbook.com Photographs: Erin Bass, Wikimedia Commons user: Saibo
