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Iconic Glass Structures – The Great Glasshouse

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Iconic Glass Structures – The Great Glasshouse

Iconic Glass Structures – The Great Glasshouse

The Great Glasshouse at the National Botanic Garden of Wales is the largest single-span glasshouse in the world. The structure is about 72,000 square feet, most of which is covered by the dome. The 785 panels in the glass dome are operable, and are computer-controlled to optimize solar heat gain for the thousands of endangered plant species inside.

Glasshouse is home to endangered plants

The Great Glasshouse is home to endangered species from six regions of the world, including North America, Australia, South Africa, South America, the Mediterranean and Europe. The Garden’s collection of Mediterranean plants is the largest in the world, outside of natural growth in the Mediterranean itself.

The Great Glasshouse was designed by Foster + Partners, an architectural design firm in the UK. The Great Glasshouse is built into the hills of Carmarthenshire, Wales, and rises among them. The dome is situated on a concrete foundation that is covered by turf. Underground pathways provide access to the dome and the public areas underneath.

The dome was built to be sustainable, and is heated in the winter with a wood-burning biomass furnace. The dome also features a rainwater collection system that supplies “gray water” for irrigation and for the facility’s restrooms. The septic waste is treated onsite and returned safely to the ground.

The frame of the Great Glasshouse is tubular steel, and the panels employ an aluminum glazing system. The central arches of the dome rise perpendicular to the base, and the side arches rise on progressively steeper angles to create the dome’s elliptical shape.

The Great Glasshouse is open year round. The climate inside the dome is controlled to match the natural environment of the plants inside. All of the plants inside the dome share similar environmental needs, but are grouped in sections, according to their places of origin.

The Great Glasshouse is one example of the power of glass in construction. If you’re looking for some glass inspiration, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Charles Stirton , via Flickr.com

Glass bottomed boat tours shipwrecks

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Glass bottomed boat tours shipwrecks

Glass bottomed boat tours shipwrecks

If you’re looking for something interesting to do on vacation, consider planning a visit to the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Underwater Preserve in Alpena, MI. While you’re there, book yourself on a boat tour of Great Lakes shipwrecks. Given the nature of shipwrecks, you might wonder what you can see from a boat. The sanctuary offers tours using a glass bottomed boat, so you’ll be able to see plenty.

Glass bottomed boat eliminates distortion

There are thousands of shipwrecks in the Great Lakes, and the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary hosts about 200 of them. More than half of the wrecks in the TBNMS are historically significant. The sanctuary received its designation in 2000, and has since been expanded to cover 4,300 square miles of Lake Huron. The TBNMS is one of 13 areas designated as underwater preserves in the State of Michigan. On shore, visitors can learn about the lakes and shipwrecks in the preserve at the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center.

Water in the area is very clear and in many spots in the sanctuary the water is shallow, so the glass bottomed boat allows visitors to see the wrecks clearly. Glass bottomed boats give visitors a better, more clear view of the shipwrecks because they eliminate the distortion that occurs when looking directly into the water from the surface.

Shipping was and is a major mode of transportation for both raw materials and finished goods in the Great Lakes region, so the majority of shipwrecks involve commercial liners and transports. Although many of the wrecks in the sanctuary are documented, the area still holds a number of undiscovered wrecks. These ships were known to have been lost in the vicinity, but have not yet been rediscovered.

Many of the wrecks in the sanctuary date to the 18th and 19th centuries, although there are some 20th century wrecks. One of the most recent wrecks, the Nordmeer, was lost in shallow water in 1966 after the pilot made a navigational error. Although the owners intended to refloat the boat, a storm destroyed the hull, so the boat was abandoned as-is in the sanctuary.

A glass bottomed boat tour may not be in your future, but you can still take advantage of glass as a decorating surface in a residential or commercial space. If you’re looking for some glass inspiration, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory , via Flickr.com

New Viking stadium glass bad for birds?

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New Viking stadium bad for birds?

New Viking stadium bad for birds?

US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis is the brand new home of the Minnesota Vikings, but some bird enthusiasts think the stadium could be a death trap. Last month, officials from the Minnesota Sports Facility Authority approved the expenditure of $300,000 to find the answer to that question. Experts are torn, however, on the right course of action, should the stadium’s towering glass wall be found dangerous to flying creatures.

Fritted glass debate will rage until 2019

US Bank Stadium features about 200,000 square feet of glass, which the National Audubon Society believes could be responsible for the deaths of about 1,000 birds per year. Birds don’t see glass and are prone to flying directly into it. In addition, reflections of the sky in the glass can cause disorientation among birds, resulting in an increased number of injuries and bird deaths. Birds also use the nearby Mississippi River as a navigational aid. Aviary experts fear that the stadium’s north and west walls, and its large glass doors will cause significant harm to local species.

The MSFA will begin the study immediately, and will monitor the number of bird deaths that occur as a result of the building through 2018. They are expected to render a decision about the glass in 2019. Since 2012, critics have asked the MSFA to consider using bird-safe glass, which is etched or decorated, to help birds “see” the glass as a solid object. The MSFA, which was responsible for the construction and operation of the stadium cited cost overruns and construction delays as its reason for vetoing “fritted” glass. According to the MSFA, the fritted glass would have inflated the construction costs by $25M-$60M. According to estimates provided by other sources, the addition of fritted glass would have raised the price of the stadium by about $1.1M. The estimated final cost of the stadium exceeds $1 billion.

The decision stands in contrast to the position of the Minneapolis City Council, which voted in 2014 to request that the MSFA include fritted glass in the stadium’s design. According to the MSFA, the glass did not pose any significant issues for birds during construction. The MSFA is also working with Minnesota-based 3M to develop and test films that could be applied to the glass to make the windows more visible to birds.

Paints and coatings like Glassprimer™ glass surface molecular activator, when combined with UV inkjet printing, can help make glass more visible to birds, and can help printed inks bond permanently to glass. If you would like more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint or Glassprimer™ glass surface molecular activator, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Matthew Paulson, via Flickr.com

Glass recycling strategies emerge

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Glass recycling strategies emerge

Glass recycling strategies emerge

Glass recycling is shaping up to be one of the great environmental dilemmas of our time. On one hand, people like to recycle glass. It makes them feel good to know that their glass isn’t going to end up in the landfill. Glass manufacturers and producers like recycling glass. The process reduces their energy consumption, and makes the manufacturing process simpler. The process to make “new” glass from recycled stock can consume about 30% less energy, so there’s real incentive to incorporate recycled glass.

Glass recycling is strategically important but unprofitable

On the other hand, recycling glass is easier said than done. The logistics involved in recycling glass are complicated, often because glass is hard to handle, store and transport. Materials reclamation facilities (MRF) are the first stop for recyclables after they’re picked up at the curb. The glass and other materials are sorted and stored, and therein lies the problem. Glass comes in a variety of shapes and sizes. It’s also not homogenous, so it needs to be sorted. Plate glass (float glass) is different than container glass, and the two materials have to be recycled separately.

And then there’s the issue of breakage. Breakage itself isn’t really a problem, since ultimately, recycled glass does get broken into smaller pieces known as “cullet.” But broken glass is hard to handle when you’re not at the cullet stage.

Recyclers don’t want to devote storage space to glass, or handle the volume of glass that gets broken while in their custody. Complicating the equation is the cost of recycled glass. It’s dropped to the point of being more expensive than new glass, and transportation of glass for recycling is expensive. From an economic standpoint, there’s not much incentive to recycle glass.

Industry groups such as the Glass Recycling Coalition are working to establish best practices for municipal glass recycling programs, partially in an effort to make sure they don’t disappear. One reason that getting the glass recycling question right is important is because people are watching. If the glass they put at the curb for recycling ends up in the landfill, they’re less likely to recycle other materials.

One potential option for glass is reusing it, rather than recycling it. Glass can potentially be incorporated into concrete mixtures, fiberglass and aggregate used in road paving. The future of glass recycling isn’t clear, at this point, but glass is becoming a popular and economical surface for decorating.

Glassprimer™ glass paint is specially formulated to bond permanently to glass. It offers superior UV resistance and when applied according to manufacturer guidelines, is guaranteed to perform for at least 10 years.

If you’d like more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Jon Callow, via Flickr.com

Stained glass rules put the hurt on churches

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Stained glass rules could put the hurt on churches

Painted glass window at St. Alkmund’s, Shrewsbury, England

New rules for stained glass manufacturers that have been proposed by the EPA could reduce the amount of stained glass available to churches. In turn, this would significantly increase the price of stained glass for the biggest consumers of the material.

Stained glass regulations expected soon

New EPA rules are being finalized that would directly affect the manufacturers of stained glass. These new rules would require the use of expensive filtration systems for small glass furnaces. The stained glass manufacturing process uses lead, cadmium and other toxic heavy metals that are discharged into the air around the furnaces.

The EPA has become alarmed by the quantity of these toxins that are accumulating in areas around glass plants that do not have filtration systems. Current rules require furnaces that run 24/7 to filter their emissions for the toxic metals. At the same time, the rules allow small furnaces to skip the filtration systems. If the new rules are adopted, however, firms that produce 50 tons or more of glass would need to install the filtration systems, regardless of how often their furnaces run. Filters must recapture 99% of the offending toxins.

Small furnaces – those that typically run without filtration – must abide by temporary production limitations imposed by the EPA. When the rules are finalized, art shops, artists and customers fear that they can not get stained glass, or that they’ll need to purchase imported stained glass at a higher cost.

An alternative to stained glass is painted glass. Glassprimer™ glass paint makes a permanent bond with the glass surface, and will not delaminate, fade or chip, even when exposed to direct sunlight. The paint can be applied in thin layers to control the flow of light through the glass. The paint costs about $1 per square foot, and can be matched to any paint palette from any major paint manufacturer. The paint is easy to clean, low-odor and comes in a water-based alternate formulation.

If you’d like more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Andrew Fogg, via Flickr.com

Diamond Glass Aims for 500-lb Gorilla

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Diamond Glass Aims for 500-lb Gorilla

Diamond Glass Aims for 500-lb Gorilla

A semiconductor startup in Illinois claims to have created a mobile device screen that’s four times more crack-resistant and seven times more scratch resistant than Corning’s industry-owning Gorilla Glass. The screen is diamond coated, which the company says makes it exceptionally resistant to damage.

Diamond glass isn’t the first gemstone-glass combination

This isn’t the first time that glass and gemstones have met. Apple uses sapphire coated glass in its iWatch to help the device stand up to daily abuse. Ahkan Semiconductor says that it has developed the glass and can manufacture it using a vapor deposition process, which is mass production friendly.

Can diamond-coated glass be manufactured cheaply and quickly enough to meet market demand? Is there any likelihood that the diamond-coated glass, known as Akhan Miraj NCD, will displace Corning’s Gorilla Glass? The company is not yet mass producing the product, and is looking for licensees so the new super-tough glass won’t show up in mobile devices in the immediate future, but incorporating diamonds could significantly improve a device’s ability to withstand drops and dings.

Just last month, Corning announced an upgrade to Gorilla Glass. The new formulation can withstand 80% of drops from shoulder height, but that may not be enough to top the new approach. According to the company, the Akhan Miraj NCD is 800 times thinner than Gorilla Glass, and can flex up to 45° without breaking.

The vapor deposition combined with microwave radiation allows synthetic diamonds to be “grown” on the surface of the glass. According to the company, the glass is much cheaper to make than sapphire glass, and is in theory more desirable because diamonds are more scratch-resistant than sapphires.

Akhan says it can have the glass in full-scale production in about a year. Akhan says it would consider a license agreement with Corning, so the companies could become partners, rather than competitors.

Although the glass is intended for use with mobile devices, in theory, it could find other uses. If you’re interested in considering the possible uses of glass, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Ch’7K, via Flickr.com

China’s latest glass walkway

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China's latest glass walkway

China’s latest glass walkway

The newest glass walkway in China is at the Tianmen Mountain Scenic Area. The walkway, known as the Coiling Dragon Cliff skywalk, is 110 meters long and 5 feet wide. The skywalk is part of a larger mountain road that takes visitors through 99 turns as it scales a sheer face of the Tianmen Mountain.

One of three glass walkways in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park


The glass walkway is part of the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park in Hunan Province. Tianmen Mountain is home to two other glass bridge/walkway attractions. The Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Glass Bridge, the longest glass bottomed bridge in the world was scheduled to open earlier this summer, but has not yet been completed. The first glass walkway in the park opened in 2011.

The Coiling Dragon Cliff skywalk is 4,600 feet above sea level, and 1,000 feet above Tongtian Avenue, the road that carries tourists to the top of the mountain. The skywalk has been open to thrill-seeking visitors for just two weeks but is already receiving rave reviews from thrill-seekers.

In the last year, several “glass” attractions have opened around the world, including the skywalks in the Zhangjiajie National Forest, a single story glass slide and observation decks on the 69th and 70th floors of a skyscraper in Los Angeles, and a glass-bottomed walkway over the Thames River in London. Tourists can also find glass skywalks and observation decks in Chicago at the Willis Tower and the former Hancock Observatory.

The emergence of glass walkways, bridges and observation decks as tourist attractions speaks to the strength and versatility of glass. Today, designers are taking every opportunity to incorporate glass into unique interiors and exteriors. Specialized glass coatings like Glassprimer™ glass paint make it possible to incorporate glass and add virtually any color to an interior design plan. Whether you’re looking for form, function or a bit of both, consider Glassprimer™ glass paint for your next interior design.

If you’re looking for additional glass inspiration, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Jacques Beaulieu, via FreeImages.com

Iconic Glass Structures–National Grand Theatre

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Iconic Glass Structures – The National Grand Theatre

Iconic Glass Structures – The National Grand Theatre

The National Grand Theatre, also known as the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, opened in 2007. The building, which was designed by French architect Paul Andreu, is egg shaped, and appears to float on a manmade lake. Visitors enter the building from a tunnel that goes under the lake.

Glass and titanium is surrounded by water


The NCPA houses three performance facilities- The Opera Hall, The Concert Hall and The Theatre Hall. The venue accommodates about 5,500 visitors at a time. The building consists of a glass and titanium skin and is approximately 700 x 475x 150, meaning that the building exceeds 330,000 square feet.

The NCPA operates as a partially subsidized venture between the central Chinese government, the local Beijing government and the Centre itself. About 60% of the facility’s operating costs come from governmental funds. About 70% of the tickets for events at the venues are reserved and priced for ordinary Chinese citizens. The remaining tickets are priced according to market demand.

The building’s exterior consists of more than 18,000 titanium panels and 1,000 “white” glass panels. The titanium panels are located at the ends of the “egg”, giving the visual impression of a theater curtain being drawn back to reveal the performances inside.

The NCPA is located immediately west of Tiananmen Square and the Great Hall of the People. The performance halls in the building each have their own decorating theme. The Opera Hall is predominantly white and silver. The Concert Hall is predominantly gold. The Theatre Hall is decorated in red, following traditional Chinese style.

The building was designed to reflect the buildings around it. It incorporates a large green space around the building, which is open to the public. The building also has underground parking. The complex creates a relaxing oasis in the middle of a city of nearly 9 million people.

Construction of the glass and titanium building took more than 5 years, and took place between 2001 and 2007. Construction was delayed for a time, following the collapse of an airport terminal in Paris that used similar design features. Construction resumed after minor design changes, and the NCPA welcomed its first visitors in 2007.

If you’re looking for “glass inspiration,” please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Wojtek Gurak, via Flickr.com

Solar Windows Generate Electricity

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Solar Windows Generate Electricity

Solar Windows Generate Electricity

Last month, Solar Window Technologies, a Columbia, MD company, introduced SolarWindow, a solar electricity generation and transmission system that is applied to windows. The product generates clean electricity via transparent organic coatings that are applied in thin layers to glass surface.

Solar windows use “invisible” wires

The company is developing the windows specifically for use in urban office buildings, which consume about 40% of all electricity nationwide. The coating incorporates “invisible wires” that transport the generated electricity to the building’s electrical system. The “invisible wires” are about 50µm wide, about half of the width of a human hair. The wires are virtually undetectable by the human eye. In addition to being aesthetically pleasing, the electricity generating glass is able to be mass produced

Solar Window Technologies claims that the windows offer a one-year payback, based on installation on a 50-story building. That compares with a return-on-investment period of between 5-11 years using conventional solar collection over a 10-12 acre installation. Although the company has specifically targeted the product for urban structures, the glass could also be installed in residential structures.

The company has also been working on a way to convert existing windows to solar collectors without requiring replacement of the existing glass surface. The windows are still in the development stage and are not currently available. Solar Window Technologies does not yet know when it will be able to bring the solar windows to market, but it has been working closely with the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory to develop the product, with the intent of rapid commercialization.

Windows play an increasingly important role in buildings, both for light transmission and energy consumption. Glassprimer™ glass paint can be used to help control light and the buildup of heat. Glassprimer™ glass paint is UV-resistant and exceptionally durable, in part because it forms a permanent bond with the surface of the glass. Controlling solar heat gain can also significantly reduce energy consumption, and prevent heat loss in the winter.

If you’d like more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Fellowship of the Rich, via Flickr.com

Glass tools were used to make tattoos

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Glass tools were used to make tattoos

Glass tools were used to make tattoos

Researchers from the Australian Museum in Sydney have concluded that volcanic glass tools recovered from South Pacific archaeological sites were used to create tattoos. The tools, which are made from obsidian, came from the Solomon Islands.

Tattoos are culturally important in many places, and especially in Pacific Island culture. Researchers haven’t found many well preserved human remains that contain tattoos, but know that the practice is and was widespread.

Glass was available, strong and shapeable

Researchers recreated similar “tattoo tools” using modern obsidian and used them to create tattoos on pigskin over a period of months. Tattooing requires that the skin be broken in order to introduce dyes into open wound.

The ancient glass tools were reshaped to contain specific features, including short, sharp and pointed edges. The researchers created tattoos using materials that would have been commonly available at the time, including charcoal and red ochre.

Once the tools had been used several times, the researchers compared microscopic wear and scratches among both the ancient and modern tools. They found that the glass in both cases showed similar signs of wear. The ancient tools also showed traces of blood, charcoal and ochre.

The finding underscores the importance of the role of glass in ancient cultures that did not have access to metal.

Today, there are better ways of creating tattoos than by using glass! Even if glass has been retired from the stable of options for tattoo work, you can still decorate with glass in other ways.

Glassprimer™ glass paint, for example, offers a great opportunity to create colorful, durable and practical glass installations, including windows, dividers and glass surfaces. Glassprimer™ glass paint is specially designed to make a permanent bond with glass, and won’t chip, peel or fade, even when exposed to direct sunlight.

If you’d like more information about decorating with glass, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Kevin Walsh, via Flickr.com