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EXTERNAL ENVELOPE
Glass is an excellent choice for a long-term construction material
and designers the opportunity to unleash their creativity by incorporating logos or bespoke patterns in their glass designs.
Surface levels
The creative opportunities of glass expand greatly when the wide variety of colour options is combined with the many different surface finishes that are now possible. These offer great possibilities to the architect looking to create a visually striking building that really stands out from the crowd. There are many different finishes to choose from, including matt, engraved, etched and sandblasted variations. As glass is actually perfect for use both internally and externally, the architect’s design can flow seamlessly from outside to inside. In complete contrast, today’s highly reflective finishes also enable a building to blend with its surroundings by reflecting them, and so becoming visually unobtrusive. This can be particularly beneficial when a new building is being designed for a location where it will be surrounded by older properties. In design terms, glass also combines well with other materials such as brick slips, stone or render, and this can help add visual impact to a building. However, for the best results it’s wise to check that your glass manufacturer can also provide a truly comprehensive solution which allows glass to be integrated with these other types of material in order to create a completely seamless facade solution.
Structural emphasis
Despite the fact that glass is an immensely practical construction material, it’s important that architects and designers don’t think of it merely as a way to clad building elevations, as it can be used as
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a powerful design element in its own right. The expansive glass facades found on modern buildings are created from individual glass panels, and today those panels can be produced in a virtually unlimited range of sizes, colours and shapes, to suit the specific needs of each individual project. For example, the glass panels can create a smooth, unbroken finish which can be used to unify different areas of a facade. By using a hidden mounting system for the panels, the joints between them will effectively disappear, thus creating large uninterrupted surfaces which allow the building to blend with its surroundings by reflecting large amounts of light and mirroring adjacent buildings. In contrast, the architect may choose to create a glass surface where the joints between the panels are used as an important element of the overall design. Highlighting structural elements in this way can add considerable visual strength to a facade, and using visible joints between panels which run vertically, horizontally, or diagonally enables the architect to create a genuinely unique look for every project. Incorporating LED lighting into these joints is an increasingly popular way to create dramatic contrasts between light and shade which emphasise the structure of the building.
The safe choice
Safety is obviously a key requirement for any building material. As a rule, a glass cladding system must be able to withstand both daily wear and tear, and occasional impact damage. It must also satisfy the requirements of the A2-s1, d0 standard, and meet various requirements covering such things as toxicity, spread of flame, structural loading and waterproofing. Fortunately, a glass system which satisfies these requirements need not cost any more than a lesser alternative.
Glass has been used in our buildings for many centuries and is in fact an excellent choice for a long-term construction material. Today, it is also finding increasing popularity among facilities and estate managers, principally because of the ease with which it can be cleaned and maintained, and the fact that, unlike some other facade finishes, it is extremely resistant to weathering and the effects of the environment.
Darren Greenwell is business development manager at Sto
ADF NOVEMBER 2022
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