FASCINATING USE OF GLASS IN ARCHITECTURE

The use of glass in various sectors has developed remarkably over the years. Glass products first came into existence around 3600 BC in Egypt. During those days, glass was considered a status symbol and luxury. The glass items used during the ancient era were beads, wine glasses, vessels, and small decorative items.

Slowly there were advancements in the architecture industry, and glasses were used in windows, houses, corporate buildings, shopping malls, shop front glass, etc. These glasses reflect natural light, which gives an aesthetic ambiance to the whole area—using these glasses in malls and as shop front glass attracts customers, which will lead to some business transactions. The glasses are treated with chemical compounds to bring out their characteristics like smooth surface, resistance, thermal properties, etc.

TYPES OF GLASSES:

There are different types of glasses with various characteristics and properties. Everybody started installing glass doors, windows, shop front doors which adds a sense of richness and enhances the look drastically. Some of the kinds of glasses are listed below. These glasses play a significant role in the architecture or construction of buildings.

DECORATIVE GLASS

These decorative glasses are commonly known as decorative glass. These are primarily used indoors to add a fancy edge to space. These glasses serve to be one of the most prominent properties used by interior designers. These glasses are dealt with hydrofluoric acid, which gives a smooth finish to the glass and makes the glass translucent in appearance. Objects made out of these glasses absorb light but do not reflect it as it is translucent. These are available in different forms like layered, textured, and coloured.

ANNEALED GLASS

These glasses are formed by a process called glass cooling, where cold air is blasted over the glass and cools the glass. The inner layer takes a longer time to cool than the outer layer. This glass is used for making windows, tabletops, facades, swimming pools, showers, or in the bathroom, and so on. Its versatile and flexible properties help creators to implement innovative ideas using these glasses. These are transparent and are available at affordable rates.

LAMINATED GLASS

Laminated glass is made of multiple layers. It has valuable properties like heat resistance, highly durable, and moisture resistance. This glass has a thin layer of plastic in the middle covered by glass on the outer sides. In times of breakage, the plastic in the centre holds the glass uptight instead of shattering into pieces. Because of its high durability, laminated glasses are used in making car front shields, shopfront glass, windows, facades, corporate buildings, glass floors, aquariums, glass roofs, and others. It provides safety and protection in times of any breakage.

INSULATED GLASS

These glasses are primarily used in areas where temperature needs to be controlled and maintained. Insulated glass is installed in homes, hospitals, and other buildings. This glass has two planes that absorb the temperature and do not let it pass through it as the planes are divided by a space. This space is mainly filled with air or gases like Kryon or Crypton, accordingly. The gas layer filled acts as the thermal barrier.

PERFORMANCE GLASS

These high-performance glasses act as a shield from harmful UltraViolet rays or any other harmful rays from the sun. This type of glass is also further classified based on the kind of insulators used in it. These glasses are used as shop front glass, malls, windows, roofs, and others. This glass efficiently reduces the power or electricity costs as it reflects natural light and makes the showroom, shops gleam so bright without having to use artificial lights.