GLASS IN ARCHITECTURE

Glass has been a fascinating material to humankind since it was first made in about 500 BC. At
first thought to possess magical properties, glass has come a long way. It is one of the most
versatile and oldest materials in the building industry. From its humble beginnings as a window
pane in luxury houses of Pompeii to sophisticated structural members in new age buildings, its
role in architecture has evolved over the years.

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. When used in buildings,
glass is often of a safety type which includes reinforced, toughened and laminated glasses.

Use of glass in construction:

From the beginning of 20th century modern architecture has been instrumental in mass
production of concrete, glass and steel buildings in the factories we call cities. This ideology
helped accommodate housing needs of the burgeoning middle class. Glass and steel construction
have become the symbol of development in many countries, where people tend to see these
buildings as symbols of affluence and luxury.
Glass façade :

Glass facade have always known to up the glamour quotient in any kind of architecture. Be it
traditional or modern, glass can raise the bar to redefine structures. At the AachenMunchener
too, glass has an overwhelming presence that sweeps across the length and breadth of the
building.

The various parts of the building are connected by a glass bridge, leaving enough room for
pedestrians and the shopping zone. This not only helps to create a visual aesthetic but also meets
the functional needs of the users. The basic design of the glass facades was derived from the
shape, colours and materials of the orientation system columns; the tall rectangles hide the
information, even while giving a glimpse of the building behind.

Glass facades can go a long way in transforming the architectural and design sensibilities of a
structure. The Aachen Munchener is an exemplary example of an edifice that is more than just a
regular office building. The usage of glass spells class, exudes sustainability and breathes life
into spaces, underlining the essence of the future of office architecture.
Types of Glass and their Uses in Construction Works
Float Glass

Float glass is made of sodium silicate and calcium silicate so, it is also called as soda lime glass.
It is clear and flat so, it causes glare. These glasses are available from 2mm to 20mm thickness
ranges. They have a weight range of 6 to 36 kg/m2. These are used as shop fronts, public places
etc.

Shatterproof Glass

Shatterproof glass is used for windows, skylights, floors etc. Some type of plastic polyvinyl
butyral is added in its making process. So, it cannot form sharp edged pieces when it breaks.
Laminated Glass

Laminated glass is the combination of layers of normal glass. So, it has more weight than normal
glass. It has more thickness and is UV proof and soundproof. These are used for aquariums,
bridges etc.

Extra Clean Glass

Extra clean glass has two special properties, photocatalytic and hydrophilic. Because of these
properties, it acts as stain proof and gives beautiful appearance. Maintenance is also easy.
Chromatic Glass

Chromatic glass is used in ICU’s, meeting rooms etc. it can control the transparent efficiency of
glass and protects the interior from daylight. The chromatic glass may be photochromic which
has light sensitive lamination, thermos-chromatic which has heat sensitive lamination and
electrochromic which has electric lamination over it.

Tinted Glass
Tinted glass is nothing but colored glass. A color producing ingredients is mixed to the normal glass mix
to produce colored glass which does not affect other properties of glass. Different color producing
ingredients are tabulated below

Coloring ion Color

Iron oxide Green

Sulphur Blue

Manganese dioxide Black

Cobalt Blue

Chromium Dark green

Titanium Yellowish brown

Uranium yellow
Toughened Glass

Toughened glass is strong glass which has low visibility. It is available in all thicknesses and
when it is broken it forms small granular chunks which are dangerous. This is also called as
tempered glass. This type of glass is used for fire resistant doors, mobile screen protectors etc.
Insulated glazed unit:

Insulated glazed glass units contains a glass is separated into two or three layers by air or
vacuum. They cannot allow heat through it because of air between the layers and acts as good
insulators. These are also called as double glazed units.
Features:

 The glass that absorb, refracts or transmits light. It can be made transparent or translucent
so it adds extraordinary beauty to the building.
 Glass transmits up to 80% of available natural day light in both directions without any
yellowing, clouding or weathering.
 The glass is fully weather resistance so it can withstand the effects of the wind, rain, or
the sun and can retain its appearance and integrity.
 Glass does not rust so it does not degrade graduallyby chemical and surrounding
environment effects.
 Glass has a smooth glossy surface so it is dust proof and can be easily cleaned.
 Glass allows natural light to enter the house even if doors/windows are closed so thus it
saves energy and also lowers the electricity bills, brightens up the room and brings out
the beauty of the home,and most importantly it boosts the mood of occupant.
 It is an excellent insulator against electricity.It is impossible to conduct an electric current
under the influence of an electric field.
 Available in varieties of colours and when we combine the glass sheet in laminated or
insulated units, they change in colour and appearance.
 It can be blown, drawn and pressed to any shape and hence it is used for general glazing
purposes in building, shop fronts, building doors and windows and workshops. It is also
used for furniture after being laminated with plywood or metal sheet.
 Glass provides an ideal way to showcase a product.
 It is also with a deep understanding of glass science and by using fusion draw
manufacturing process to lead the display industry with its superior liquid crystal display
(LCD) glass that fueled the electronics gadget screen revolution.
 Glass is 100% recyclable and it does not degrade during the recycling process, hence it
can be recycled again and again without loss of quality or purity.
 The glass is UV stable, Since It is not attacked by ultraviolet radiation and hence cracks,
discolouration or disintegration will not occur.
 The glass is excellent abrasion resistant so it will resist surface wear caused by flat
rubbing and contact with another material.
 The glass is stable over a wide range of temperature so it is used for fireplace glass, high-
temperature light lenses,and wood burning stoves, cooking tops and high-temperature
areas where low expansion is needed.
 It is unaffected by noise, air, water and most of the acids hence discoloration, alteration in
the degree of shine, softening, swelling, the detachment of coatings and blistering will not
occur. Glass also protects against outside barriers.
 Glass has the ability to make the structure look more stunning, sophisticated and adds
beauty to the building. It is used to achieve the architectural view for external decoration.
 When used in the interiors, glass saves space.
 GLASS ARCHITECTURE IN INDIA

The presence of glass in the Indian Design Industry was primarily felt in the 1990's when its
usage started progressing from a mere aesthetic/decorative material to a structural material aiding
in flow of spaces, establishing transparency in architecture and making nature merge naturally
into designs.

From time immemorial, appearance has been one of the greatest obsessions of humanity.
Whether in personal looks, material possessions or natural surroundings, external facades have
always been pivotal points of importance. So it is only natural that, even in the construction of
buildings, appearance should play a major role.

Traditionally, architecture and construction in India has been limited to drab buildings, without
any spectacular beauty. However, recent years have seen the advent of many modern techniques,
such as glass construction, to improve this aspect.Especially in the metros and IT parks of the
country, it is now quite common to see high-rises with glass glazing, which have a modern and
sophisticated look. A number of companies have been offering solutions in glass glazing for the
Indian construction industry.

From world famous MNCs like Saint Gobain or DM Wall Systems Co. Ltd. to smaller Indian
establishments, a plethora of products are being offered in this booming sector. Some of the
more famous Indian establishments include Sejal Architectural Glass, Glazing Technologies Pvt.
Ltd. and Sai Alutek Pvt. Ltd.

These companies are from cities all over India, and many new firms are opening up to make use
of this new segment. But why has glass glazing caught on in such an impressive fashion in the
country? There are a number of reasons for this. As explained earlier, one primary reason is of
course the fact that the appearance of the building is greatly enhanced by glass glazing. There are
practical reasons as well - glass is a far lighter material than concrete or wood, and so the weight
of the building is reduced by using glass. This leads to lesser stress on the building and its
foundations. Use of glass allows outside greenery and natural beauty to be enjoyed inside the
building, and it ensures a better working environment.

It has also been shown that using the optimum kind of glass can greatly reduce the energy
consumption of the building. Glass does not require a great amount of maintenance like other
materials. The large range of glass glazing products also ensures that strong, durable and reliable
glass can be used which will not break or fracture when under stress. The choices offered by
glass glazing companies are numerous and, according to the specific projects, the right decisions
can be made about what kind of glass to use for durability, strength and appearance. Some of the
techniques used are suspended glazing, spider glazing, curtain walling, cable-supported glazing
and fin-supported glazing. Structural glazing involves the use of adhesives of silicone to join the
various glass parts together and give it support. Cable-supported uses high-strength cables to
meet the same requirements. In bolt-gazing, mechanical connectors like bolts and screws are
used to set up the glass structures, giving it more strength. However, workmanship and
engineering are considered the most important factors by all major constructors in the industry.
Patni Knowledge Park - The Green Office

Where: Airoli, Navi Mumbai

What: The software training and customer relation centre at Patni Knowledge Park is one of the most
eco-friendly buildings in the world. The 5-acre complex has facilities that ensure optimum utilisation of
energy and other natural resources. Around 3500 people work in this campus and yet it manages to be
sufficiently lit and well managed. This is one of the revolutionary buildings in the country.
i Flex Building - The Structure Of Suspending Windows

Where: C V Raman Nagar, Bengaluru, Karnataka

What: A chic state-of-art building spread over 144,000 square feet accommodating 1500
employees; the suspended floors present a unique architecture. The building is now operated as
an office of Oracle Financial Services.
L&T's Construction's Headquarters at Manapakkam in Chennai

This is the biggest L&T complex in Chennai. The building has a total of eleven floors including 3
basement level floors.

Infosys Pune:
EON IT-PARK PUNE

Limitations :

 Manufacturing of glass is high energy consuming process due to high temperature

required for processing the raw materials, and it is expensive material and ultimately
increases the cost of a building.
 The glass is very rigid and brittle materials so when it is subjected to stress, it breaks
without significant (strain). Broken pieces of Glass may be sharp and chances of injury
are very high.
 The glass is less impact resistant so the capability of the glass to withstand a suddenly
applied load is very poor.
 The glass is affected by external hydrofluoric acid hence sometime etching is appear on
glass surface.
 The Glass is affected by alkalis ions. Alkali solution simply dissolves a glass surface and
as long as the supply of alkali is sufficient,this type of corrosion takes place at a uniform
rate.
 Glass offers superior transparency of heat hence it is to be balanced with its relatively
low R-value (energy saving). R-value is considered as one of the most important factors
for insulating.
 Use of glass also enhances the cost of security.
  The glass is also unsafe for earthquake proven area. Unfortunately, there is no such Glass
as an earthquake proof material but costly treatment makes them withstand against
earthquake.
 The glass is poor in terms of heat preservation, leading to higher costs in the operation of
air-conditioners.
 Though many feel that once you provide glass in a building façade, you are free from
painting expenses for ever but this is not fine. You may have to spend equally for
cleaning of glass. Sometimes it is as costly as expose painting. Again, you may paint
building once in a 5 years but for glass you have to clean every year.
 Glass absorbs heat and hence act as a greenhouse and hence not suitable in warm and hot
climates. It will increase A\C load and more energy consideration for air conditioning.
 Glare is a major problem in glass façade building.

The Benefits of Glass:

In considering the benefits of glass in the field of architecture, a number of key characteristics come to
mind. Foremost is the material’s transparency which allows abundant daylight, expansive views, and
passive heat gain in cold climates, as well as the productivity gains and health benefits that daylight and
views are believed to engender.

THE IMAGE OF GLASS:

Glass curtain walls became the status symbol of confident companies and the silhouette of glass
towers the sign of a prosperous city.

More than any other building material, the use of glass in buildings is associated with modernity, both
because it was not until close to the mid-20th century that developments in technology allowed the
manufacture of large panels of glass that were structurally sound, but also because glass, in many ways,
is associated with the modern ethos in architecture of lightness, airiness, transparency and variability

DAYLIGHT AND VIEW

As a key material in architectural design and building construction today, glass enables a number of
beneficial characteristics that can positively impact the occupants and owners of buildings. As part of
the façade of a building, glass provides transparency to let sunlight in and to let people see out.

PRODUCTIVITY

Windows and views are important for sustained human performance.

Productivity is defined as “the ability of people to enhance their work output through increases in the
quantity and/or quality of the product or service they deliver.

Productivity related to the physical attributes of one’s space is typically quantified in ways specific to the
building and/or occupancy type. For instance, studies on productivity in retail stores might consider data
such as increases in sales and transactions, while studies in educational facilities consider data such as
absenteeism rates and test scores.

Offices, retail buildings and schools have been identified as three particular building types for which a
number of productivity studies are available that include the key physical components related to glass:
views and daylight. Healthcare is included in the next section as patient health is not only a measure of
productivity, in a certain sense, but perhaps more importantly applicable to broader questions of health
and well-being.

 OFFICES : Quantifiable data presented in studies on productivity in offices include: rates of

absenteeism, performance on cognitive tests, rates of employee turnover, time spent on
primary tasks and additional work hours gained. The physical attributes of a workspace related
to glass presented in the studies below include access to views, access to daylight, proximity to
windows, glare and partition height
 RETAIL: Quantifiable data presented in studies on productivity in retail include: monthly sales
and monthly transactions. The physical attributes of a retail space related to glass presented in
the studies below include daylight hours: the number of hours of daylight that exceed a certain
illumination threshold, measured from sources other than entrance façade glass.
 SCHOOLS : Quantifiable data presented in studies on productivity in schools include test scores,
attendance records and individual surveys. The physical attributes of a learning space related to
glass presented in the studies below include the presence or absence of windows, access to and
amount of daylight, access to views, acoustic performance, thermal comfort and glare.

HEALTH:

“Larger windows should be provided to permit more exposure to daylight and restorative nature
views in patient rooms and other spaces where depression, pain and stress are problems.” (Roger
Ulrich, 2008)