Doors and windows used in homes and commercial spaces are headed for a significant change, all credit to technology. Modern-day glass (called Smart Glass) is a perfect amalgamation of aesthetics and advanced functionalities built on the backbone of technology.
In this blog, we look at how smart glass is shaping the architecture and interior designing industry. We also deep dive into the potential use cases of smart glass in the residential and commercial real estate industry.
Smart glass (also called Light Control Glass) is an innovative type of glass that lets you control the amount of light entering through the windows. Due to this, the glass can be rendered transparent, translucent, or opaque as per the requirement.
A simple switch is all it takes to control the opacity or transparency of the glass. Therefore, it is also referred to as privacy glass (or switchable glass).
Smart glass is manufactured using the PDLC (Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystal) technology, made by suspending liquid crystal micro-droplets in the polymer. The technology is strikingly similar to the one used in the manufacturing of LCDs.
The film’s natural state sees the PDLC molecules arranged in a manner that causes the light waves to reflect away and refract through the surface. This results in distorting the state of the glass, making the glass frosted (or opaque).
When passed through the PDLC layer, electric current scatters the liquid crystal molecules, thereby allowing the light to pass through the glass.
Smart glass technology allows the users to control different forms of light such as IR (Infra-Red), UV (Ultra Violet), and visible light with electricity. Active and Passive are the two types of smart glass.
In the Active type, a low voltage electrical charge changes the state from transparent to opaque (or translucent). There is no such requirement in the passive type. However, it is less reliable than the active type.
Now that we have covered the major types of smart glass, let’s look into the overall benefits of using smart glass:
Smart glass lets you dynamically switch from transparent to opaque state using a compatible hand-held device. It is a widely preferred option that lets you switch to a ‘high privacy’ mode on an on-demand basis.
It is a known fact that UV rays of the sun can cause severe skin burns. One of the significant advantages of smart glass is that you can control IR and UV rays entering the room.
On the whole, smart glass protects the occupant’s skin and prevents color fading in the place where the glass is installed.
Smart glass helps you maintain ideal indoor temperatures. This essentially means that it allows sufficient natural light to enter the room during summers and does not let the interior heat escape outside during chilled winters.
The result is a tighter grip over power consumption, resulting in reduced electricity bills.
The usage of smart glass spans across the residential and industrial (or corporate) sectors. Here are some of the prominent areas where smart glass is witnessing a wider adoption:
Residents of buildings (or apartments) are always on the lookout for décor options that offer more privacy. This is where smart glass partitions, doors, and windows in residential buildings can provide more privacy to its residents.
Smart glass in hospitals provides a high level of noise insulation and privacy to the hospital occupants. Do you know that curtains and drapes in hospitals are potential carriers of germs (and/or diseases)?
With a smart glass in place, hospitals can steer away from drapes or curtains. One can control the spread of diseases within the hospital premises as cleaning smart glass is ultra-easy. Last but not least, smart glasses are highly usable in the creation of single-bed units.
Smart glass can add wonders to conference (or meeting) rooms, spas, and other areas in hotels where privacy is a top-notch priority. With the click of a button, guests can change the opacity or transparency of the glass, thereby providing them with a WOWsome experience.
Smart glass can be extensively used in office spaces, especially in conference rooms, meeting rooms, and cabin spaces. Employees would always want productivity to be high. And, smart glass allows employees to focus more with fewer distractions seeping through. Cabins and conference rooms made of smart glass offer higher privacy, which helps the employees concentrate better.
Over and above, smart glass also doubles up as a screen projector on windows and walls. This means that employees would no longer need a screen projector during the meeting sessions since the smart glass could double up as a screen projector!
Are you looking for a trusted glass company that can help you switch to smart glass? AIS Glasxperts are glass experts that offer end-to-end smart glass solutions and assist you with consultation, product selection, installation, and after-sales service.
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