When security is priority, is laminated glass the best to use?
Bonding two panes of glass with an interlayer produces laminated glass, a catch-all term to cover the various combinations of glass and interlayer. Because the interlayer holds the glass even when broken, laminated glass is typically used where security is a priority, as well as in safety applications like overhead and walk-on glazing. By far… Read more
The standards of performance that glass should achieve, centre upon preventing anybody from accidentally falling through a rooflight, but what about if someone sets about deliberately trying to gain entry to a building through one? Following the 2015 introduction of Part Q, with its single requirement, to Schedule 1 of the Building Regulations in England,… Read more
The development of glass manufacturing technology over the last 60 years has fed ambitious architectural uses of glass; in turn, the increased consumption of glass by the construction industry has fed the development of new products and glass types. Glass for use in buildings, usually called architectural glass, requires pure materials. It cannot simply be… Read more
Utilising the potential of various coatings and glass types has other benefits. Compared to the total surface area of the building fabric, the heat loss through relatively small areas of roof glazing is more than offset by the contribution of solar gains and the reduced use of artificial lighting. Anybody involved with building design and… Read more
Spontaneous glass breakage is known to occur in toughened glass, due to the stabilising of nickel sulphide (NiS) present in the material. The risk of breakage is relatively low, but unpredictable – it could occur within weeks or years of manufacture, if at all. Heat soaking filters out about 95% of potential problem units. Toughened… Read more
Bonding two panes of glass with an interlayer produces laminated glass, a catch-all term to cover the various combinations of glass and interlayer. Because the interlayer holds the glass even when broken, laminated glass is typically used where security is a priority, as well as in safety applications like overhead and walk-on glazing. By far… Read more
We are delighted to announce that the full shortlist for the inaugural AJ Specification Awards has been released, and that two of our projects have been shortlisted in the ‘Windows and Doors’ award category. These new awards recognise the importance of the collaboration between architects, suppliers and manufacturers on each project and the positive impact… Read more
What are the benefits of natural light? Natural light is integral to the quality of our indoor environments. It creates a pleasing, stimulating and more productive environment, and happier people. Roof windows provide up to three times more light than the same area of vertical glazing, though it has to be done in the right… Read more
Appropriate building fabric specification One of the benefits of a ‘whole building’ approach to energy efficiency is the ability to compensate for poorer performing areas or elements by ‘beefing up’ others. There are limits to that, so a level of common sense is necessary. Building regulations stipulate worst-case U-values for new buildings, so a minimum level of… Read more
How is the thermal performance of roof glazing assessed? Although rooflights and roof windows make up only a fraction of the market compared to doors and ‘conventional’ windows, they nevertheless make a significant contribution to the overall performance of a building. Standards for assessing the performance of products, however, don’t acknowledge that contribution. The methods… Read more
How is building performance assessed? For new-build construction projects, building regulations take an inter-connected ‘package’ of measures into consideration when determining whether a building meets the targets for carbon dioxide emissions and/or energy consumption. A ‘good’ building relies on low U-values for the main building elements, and minimal heat transfer at junctions where those elements… Read more
What is ‘thermal performance’? When thinking about the energy efficiency of buildings, it’s easy to focus on heat loss through individual elements and forget the wider picture. It’s true that U-values often become the headline figures in a specification, but they are not the sole barometer of performance. There’s a reason for the relevant section… Read more
When looking to specify or purchase rooflights or roof windows, certainly terminology appears repeatedly. But the meaning or significance of that terminology is not always clear. This post explains three common features. Double, triple or quadruple glazed? These days, most people understand the benefits of having a glazing unit that is more than just single… Read more
