Charlotte NC and Raleigh Durham Replacement Blind Company, Architectural Glass Goes Beyond Windows

PRLog (Press Release) - Apr 06, 2010 -
A Glass Act
Architectural Glass Goes Beyond Windows
By Lisa Iannucci

There was a time when the buildings being built in New York City were largely  constructed of earthy materials—limestone, brownstone, brick, terra cotta—and glass really only figured into their design in the form of windows and  skylights. As times and architectural fashions changed however, glass and steel  gained a foothold among all the stone and marble, until gleaming glass facades  became the norm rather than the exception—particularly in new residential development.  

The Glass Age
Glass itself has come a very long way since it was just the stuff windows were  made of. Today, its colors, tints, finishes, and treatments are nearly  limitless—and it’s strong enough to be a building material in its own right.  

“We cannot ascertain that glass has overtaken other building materials,” says Steven Jayson, owner of architectural glass manufacturer S.A. Bendheim,  Ltd., in Passaic, New Jersey. “But it’s easy to see the unique benefits, such as daylighting and views, that  glass can bring to areas dominated by tall buildings and skyscrapers.”  

Jayson says that the evolution of the architectural glass industry can also be  credited with the increased use of glass in buildings.  

“These developments include the fact that the glass manufacturing process has  been designed to conserve resources and allow for cost-effective production,” he says. “There’s also the development of energy-efficient glass products, including thermal  coatings and insulated glass wall systems; and of course the incredible  decorative glass options that can introduce a unique, customizable aesthetic.”  

These options include etched patterns, textures, decorative interlayers, colors  and more. Glass can be laminated with other glass types for strength, or to  create a completely new aesthetic. “It can be combined with a decorative interlayer such as a fabric or wood  veneers,” says Jayson. “It can be insulated, tempered, bent, color coated in a standard or custom color,  or acid etched with a decorative pattern. There are hardly any limitations to  customizing architectural glass. Thermal performance coatings such as our  channel glass Low-E, azure, and bronze coatings are interesting because they  simultaneously provide energy efficiency and attractive visual effects.”  

Windows can also be tinted almost any color, or may have a partially or  completely reflective coating. “Architects sometimes use the tinted coatings to hide irregular interiors  (curtains, blinds, etc.) so that the building exterior can appear more  harmonious,” says Douglas J. Lister, an architect based in New York City. “Solid ceramic or painted coatings can also be applied to glass. These coatings can create patterns on the buildings and give added privacy to  occupants.”  

Jayson explains that another reason glass is becoming so popular is because of  its daylighting properties—so important in a city where buildings can be mere feet away from each other,  and high-rises loom over shorter buildings, often blocking out the sun.  

“The see-through quality of glass allows daylight and opens up spaces, reducing  the need for artificial lighting and thus conserving energy,” says Jayson. “Naturally day-lit spaces have also been proven to create a better work and  living environment.”

One Example

The recent technological and aesthetic advancements in architectural glass—as well as its accompanying decline in cost—made it the material of choice in many (if not most) of the new condo  developments that went up during the city’s residential construction boom in  the early 2000s, from five-story lofts downtown to towering high-rises in the  revitalized Hell’s Kitchen.  

One example of the latter is the Orion, a 60-story, 650,000-square-foot condo  tower at 350 West 42nd Street designed by Cetra Ruddy Architecture + Interior  Design. The building made use of HYBRID-WALL, a new cladding system developed  by Canadian manufacturer Sota Glazing. According to Keith Goich, Cetra Ruddy’s  project executive on the Orion, “The client was thinking of a traditional brick face over concrete masonry unit,” but the benefits—both economic and aesthetic—of the hybrid glass panel system made it the clear choice, literally. “Once we ran all the numbers,” says Goich, “it turned out to be more cost effective than a traditional system.”  

Using glass also gained precious square footage in the Orion’s apartment units.  According to Goich, the Orion’s exterior walls are 8.25 inches thick, as opposed to the 18 inches required for  a traditional cladding system. “This is phenomenal in terms of layout and selling points,” he says, but using glass also enabled the design team to achieve their creative  vision in a way that masonry would have limited. “Usually in a residential building you see different sized windows,” says Goich, “but I didn’t want an odd pattern. I wanted the building to look monolithic.” Working with the greater design possibilities of a glass curtain wall allowed  the architects to realize their monolithic vision, cladding the Orion in  three-foot-one-inch-wide panels that obscured divisions between floors and gave  the building an almost-seamless “skin.”  

Green is Good
Glass also lends itself well to energy-efficiency. According to Lister, in  modern “green” buildings, glass is key in controlling the amount of heat and light that passes  into and out of the structure. This permeability is measured by what are  referred to as “R” and “U” values. The u-value measures the heat that is gained or lost due to the  difference in the indoor and outdoor temperatures. The lower the U, the less  heat is transmitted. The higher the R value, the greater its resistance to heat  transfer.  

Working with higher-rated glass enables builders to improve their projects’  energy efficiency, and knowing the R and U values of the glass in their  building can help co-op and condo administrators make better choices to reduce  energy costs.  

Lisa Iannucci is a freelance writer and author, who lives in Poughkeepsie, New  York.

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