Be it round or casement, clerestory or bay; the real beauty of any window type lies in the glass that is to be used. After all, incorrect choice of window glass or worse, lack of it thereof can render your windows dull and lifeless – in terms of appearance and utility.
To make a smart choice, you will need to know about all the available options. This guide will let you know the different types of window glass options at disposal for use in both residential and commercial spaces.
Innovative Window Glass Solutions: Right Balance between Aesthetics and Functionality
Safety Glass
The issues regarding residential and commercial break-ins are constantly on the rise with burglary being one of the most prevalent crimes across countries. Safety and security of a building’s occupants and valuables are of paramount importance.
This issue can be dealt with by using a special kind of window glass known as safety glass. Now, safety glass has two variants – toughened safety glass and laminated safety glass. Where toughened safety glass is manufactured using the process of heat or chemical tempering, laminated safety glass is made by sandwiching two sheets of glass by a special PVB or Poly Vinyl Butyral layer in between.
Both these glasses are four to five times stronger than ordinary untreated glass and hence, cannot be broken easily. Besides protecting against unwanted intruders, safety glass is named so for another important reason.
Both the types of safety glass do not break into sharp, injurious shards, unlike ordinary glass. Toughened safety glass breaks into small, blunt, pebble-like pieces that do not cause harm whereas laminated safety glass pieces simply remain stuck to the PVB interlayer without falling apart.
Privacy Glass
Though glass in the fenestration industry stands in a class of its own, it originally had one drawback that has successfully been dealt with by innovative glass technologies – the issue of privacy.
Tinted and frosted glass types offer opacity levels that make them fit for usage in spaces where privacy is imperative – bathrooms, conference rooms, bedrooms, even individual office cabins. Now, people can experience the beauty of glass without compromising on having a personal space. Tinted and frosted window glass is available in a variety of shades and textures.
Moreover, a third variant of privacy window glass is also available today that allows people to enjoy privacy on-demand – smart glass or switchable glass. Made using the PDLC or Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystal technology, the opacity of this particular variant of window glass can be set to the desired level using a remote control.
Heat-Reflective Glass
One of the greatest needs of today is that of energy conservation – both in terms of heat and light. Though natural daylight is an absolute must for the body in order to assimilate vital nutrients such as calcium, glare and heat that come along are not just redundant, they can even be harmful. The UV rays of the sun can lead to skin cancers, heat can cause strokes, and glare can damage vision.
This is why heat-reflective or energy-efficient window glass has taken centre stage in fenestration. This type of window glass meets several needs at once – facilitates optimal daylight and glare management and blocks out harmful UV rays of the sun.
Hence, money spent on exorbitant electricity bills – artificial lighting, air-conditioning, and heating systems – are cut down. All this while protecting occupants’ health and expensive interior furniture from fading.
Energy-efficient window glass can be used in practically any room, both in homes and offices, but especially in those rooms where the humidity and heat levels are normally high such as bathrooms and kitchens.
Acoustic Glass
Noise levels of 80 decibels or more for more than eight hours a day are harmful enough to alter sleep patterns, disrupt hearing, lead to anxiety, panic attacks, and to reduce the overall quality of life in general. The constantly rising levels of noise pollution have created a huge demand for solutions that can restore peace and productivity.
Thankfully, innovative acoustic window glass solutions are the light at the end of the tunnel. After all, windows are responsible for allowing 60% of the unwanted external noise and by soundproofing them, you can easily enjoy deep sleep and quality time with your loved ones.
Soundproof glass or acoustic glass is a high-quality laminated glass – a thick and strong glass involving two sheets of standard glass sandwiched by a special PVB interlayer responsible for blocking out almost 90% of the external noise!
Using this glass as window glass, you can do away with your worries of not getting adequate sleep, hampered productivity, and diminishing peace.
Looking for premium window glass solutions for your homes and offices? Come to AIS Glasxperts! We are a subsidiary of India’s largest integrated glass manufacturer – Asahi India Glass Limited – and all our window glass solutions are sourced directly from our parent brand. Not sure which window glass will best fit your needs? Our experts offer 360-degree solutions and as such will guide you right from the selection process itself. Moreover, we also offer quality after-sales service.
So, what are you waiting for? Get in touch with us today!