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Iconic Glass Structures – Emporia Mall, Malmo Sweden

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If your conception of glass is a rigid plane that’s best reserved for windows, don’t go to the Emporia Mall in Malmo, Sweden. The mall, which was designed by Wingardhs, actually houses retail stores, a supermarket, office space and residential space. Emporia was built to appeal to commuters that need to reach a nearby train station.
And it’s a little weird.

Malmo is the third largest city in Sweden, so it’s already got a lot going on. Malmo is also an economic engine for southern Sweden, so it’s a busy port city. It takes a little work to catch people’s attention. And Emporia’s unique glass façade does just that.

Emporia is a huge project, and only a portion of it has been completed. The so-called “Amber Entrance” pays homage to Sweden’s historic amber deposits. The “Blue” entrance recalls the country’s relationship with the sea. The 1,000,000 square foot mall is a tubular steel structure with a glass “skin.” Each of the 804 glass panels on the exterior of the building is custom built and colored.

World-renowned glassmaker Cricursa built each of the building’s glass panels and bent them using high heat to give the building it’s unique outer appearance. The amber and blue themes continue inside the building, which makes liberal use of glass and color to attract and delight all visitors who enter the building. Lush greenery, high-lustre glass spaces and bright colors dominate and visually divide the building’s interior spaces.

The frame of the building was built in Spain and shipped to Sweden for assembly on site. The double-curved center entry to the building is unmistakeable and virtually unique among world architectures. The outer walls have a more regular appearance, which only lends to the visual appeal of the building.

Glassprimer™ glass paint is a specialized glass coating that bonds permanently to glass surfaces. GlassPrimer also makes a glass surface molecular activator that is designed to work with UV-inkjet glass printing processes. For 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: Maria Elkind, via Flickr.com

New stained glass window honors Queen Elizabeth

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New stained glass window honors Queen Elizabeth

New stained glass window honors Queen Elizabeth

Westminster Abbey has announced that painter David Hockney will create a new stained glass window to honor Queen Elizabeth II. The window will be unveiled in 2018 in time for the opening of the Abbey’s Diamond Jubilee Galleries, and will coincide with the 65th anniversary of Elizabeth II’s ascension to the throne.

Elizabeth II is England’s longest-reigning monarch. She was married at Westminster Abbey in 1947. The Abbey also hosted her coronation in 1953. Westminster Abbey, founded in 960, has been the traditional site of numerous life events among the members of England’s royal family, largely because the Abbey belongs to the monarchy. All coronations since 1066 have taken place there, and most English and British royals are buried at Westminster Abbey.

In 2011, Hockney, who is considered to be one of the premier contemporary British artists of the 20th century, was invited to paint a portrait of the Queen but turned down the opportunity. For the stained glass window, Hockney will supply the design, working closely with Westminster Abbey. The Abbey will oversee the production of the window once the design has been finalized.

Hockney works in a number of artistic media, including paint, photography and printmaking. He divides his time between London and Los Angeles, where he owns two residences. Early in his career, Hockney focused on portraiture. His later works include photographic collages and etchings.

The stained glass window will be installed in the Diamond Jubilee Galleries, which will be part of the museum complex at Westminster Abbey. This portion of the complex dates back to the church’s original foundation, and has been used as a museum for more than 100 years. The new galleries, which are currently under construction, will be elevated and will create significant new display space for artifacts held by the Abbey.

Glassprimer™ glass paint is a specialized glass coating that bonds permanently to glass surfaces. GlassPrimer also makes a glass surface molecular activator that is designed to work with UV-inkjet glass printing processes. For 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: Defence Images, via Flickr.com

The story behind bulletproof glass

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The story behind bulletproof glass

The story behind bulletproof glass

What is bulletproof glass? Is it really glass? Is it really bulletproof? Bulletproof glass is a special material constructed from layers of laminated glass. Bulletproof glass comes in standard and customized thicknesses, ranging from 3/4th inch to 3½ inches. The thicker the finished product, the more protection it offers.

Laminated glass is used in a number of safety and security applications, where shattered glass would be very dangerous. In bulletproof glass, the glass layers tend to flatten a projectile, while the polycarbonate layers deform on impact, which diffuses the projectile’s energy and prevents it from traveling through the glass.

In addition, various alternative laminates can be combined with glass to give bulletproof glass different safety characteristics. For example, polycarbonate layers could be laminated between glass layers to improve the material’s ability to stop projectiles. Acrylic could also be used in alternating layers between glass to create a different level of stopping power.

Different firearms expel bullets at different velocities. The velocity of the projectile determines its penetration ability, so bulletproof glass is designed in various thicknesses to protect against specific types of firearms. The protection offered by the glass depends upon its construction. Glass designed to protect against handguns may not perform well against rifles. Bulletproof glass can also be designed to offer protection in one direction only. With “one-way” bulletproof glass, an attacker would not be able fire through the glass, but someone on the “safe” side of the glass could fire through it unimpeded.

Bulletproof glass is not only useful for situations where security is important. It can also perform well against catastrophic weather events like hurricanes. It is also exceptionally scratch resistant. One disadvantage of bulletproof glass is that it significantly reduces the transmission of visible light. In addition, over time, UV light exposure can damage the laminated layers of polycarbonate or acrylic. UV light damage can cause the intermediate layers to discolor or cloud, further reducing the transmission of visible light.

Glassprimer™ glass paint is a specialized glass coating that bonds permanently to glass surfaces. GlassPrimer also makes a glass surface molecular activator that is designed to work with UV-inkjet glass printing processes. For 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: Pulpolux, via Flickr.com

Glass recyclers offer new insight

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Glass recyclers offer new insight

Glass recyclers offer new insight

The recyclability of glass isn’t in question, but glass generates plenty of questions about the best way to recycle it. From a materials perspective, glass is infinitely recyclable. Recycled glass is virtually identical to new glass, except that recycled glass takes less energy to make.

The science behind glass recycling isn’t a problem, but there aren’t many good answers to the economic questions about glass. What’s the best way to recycle glass? How much is recycled glass worth? What’s the best way to sort glass? What’s the best way to transport glass? Who’s going to buy recycled glass? If no one’s going to buy it, what else can glass be used for?

Many curbside recycling programs have eliminated or limit their glass acceptance, primarily because they can’t find markets for the collected glass. Glass needs to be sorted according to color, so for food containers that means separating and storing green, brown and clear glass. In addition, container glass is different than tempered glass, so those types of glass need to be kept separate.

Glass breaks, and handling broken glass is just as dangerous for the workers at the local materials recovery facility (MRF) as it is for the average homeowner. Glass usually isn’t pulverized until it reaches the recycler, which creates transportation and storage problems for the material collectors. It’s no wonder that a number of cities have stopped recycling glass.

A new Wisconsin study shows that it’s still “worth it” to recycle glass. Having said that, much of the savings is realized by the recycler while many of the problems are realized by the handlers. Because demand is so low for container glass right now, the returns on recycled glass are negligible.

Adding to the debate is a complex patchwork of laws related to recycling. Wisconsin, for example, prohibits container glass from being landfilled. That means municipalities and waste handlers need to separate glass from trash, even when there’s nowhere to put it and no one wants to buy it.

Recently, the Associated Recyclers of Wisconsin issued a report that examined the issue of glass recycling and attempted to find ways to make glass recycling easier and more profitable for everyone involved. The ARW report suggests that recyclers invest in new equipment designed to help sort and clean recyclable glass, under the assumption that clean glass is more attractive to potential purchasers than contaminated glass is. In addition, the report suggests that recyclers should create and adopt a standard for glass that it must meet when it leaves the MRF. The report also suggests exploring different re-use markets for container glass, including road construction, landfill cover and construction materials.

Glassprimer™ glass paint is a specialized glass coating that bonds permanently to glass surfaces. GlassPrimer also makes a glass surface molecular activator that is designed to work with UV-inkjet glass printing processes. For 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: Roman Boed , via Flickr.com

Flexible glass photovoltaics may lighten soldiers’ load

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Flexible glass photovoltaics may lighten soldiers' load

Flexible glass photovoltaics may lighten soldiers’ load

Research being conducted by the Department of Energy, the Department of Defense and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) may lead to the development of lighter weight renewable power sources for soldiers. The goal is to lighten the weight of equipment soldiers typically carry into combat situations, and flexible flass may .

For example, the average Marine carries about 80 pounds of equipment with him or her in combat zones. The equipment includes battery-operated electronic devices. About 25% of the weight in a soldier’s backpack, therefore, is batteries. By developing portable, renewable energy sources, the researchers hope to reduce the weight of combat equipment without sacrificing reliability.

The military makes heavy use of photovoltaic energy now, but current PV power sources are heavy and inflexible. More efficient solar cells have typically been “grown” on heavy glass substrates. Thin-film solar cells are grown on more flexible substrates – stainless steel or titanium – but the thin-film solar cells usually aren’t as beefy as their larger, heavier cousins. To remedy that, the researchers are concentrating on making thin-film solar cells on a heavier substrate, then transferring the thin-film to a lighter weight package.

Cadmium-telluride (CdTe) solar cells can be very efficient energy collectors, but they must be created on transparent (glass) substrates. A glass substrate can withstand the high heat required by the manufacturing process. Researchers worked to develop ways to safely detach the high efficiency solar cell from its heavier glass substrate and reattach it to a lighter weight more flexible material. Currently they’re working with liquid nitrogen to detach the thin-film solar cells from glass. (Thin film solar cells are just a few micrometers thick.)

The work is promising and is moving ahead. If successful, thin film solar cells grown on glass substrates could advance the use of unmanned observation and supply vehicles, in addition to helping soldiers on the ground. It’s also likely that the technology would be transferred to commercial use in the future.

Glassprimer™ glass paint is a specialized glass coating that bonds permanently to glass surfaces. GlassPrimer also makes a glass surface molecular activator that is designed to work with UV-inkjet glass printing processes. For 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: Voice0Reason, via Flickr.com

Will the Glass Skyscraper Survive?

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Will the Glass Skyscraper Survive?

Will the Glass Skyscraper Survive?

Skyscrapers are a ubiquitous element of the urban landscape. They’re not going away any time soon, but they are evolving. While there are distinct advantages to clustering populations densely, there are also costs. This is evident in traditional skyscraper design. The emergence of new materials like glass has changed the way skyscrapers look, but a new movement is out to change the way the buildings impact their surroundings.

Architects often compete to design the tallest buildings. In major cities around the world there are no shortages of buildings that exceed 60, 70 or even 100 stories. Issues like energy consumption and sustainability are magnified in tall buildings, and they are beginning to change the way tall buildings are designed.

Glass is the current go-to material for “skinning” a tall building. It offers some obvious advantages, but it brings with it challenges that aren’t faced by less transparent architectural designs. Outside of safety, energy consumption is probably the number one concern of architects when proposing a new building. Building owners, cities and tenants are no longer just looking at the cost to build a tower. They want assurances that the cost of operating in the space is manageable, and that the space will be comfortable over the long haul.

Glass has the ability to trap heat. That might be a valuable quality, but heat also rises, so the top floors of a building may become unbearably hot without significant air conditioning. The power needed to cool spaces becomes a real concern because it not only makes the space more expensive to occupy, but it also (eventually) requires power companies to provide additional power generating capacity, or to buy power on the commodity market.

Building more power plants isn’t always an option, and power companies are feeling the pressure from governments to reduce carbon emissions, so that countries can comply with carbon emissions treaty agreements. In addition, developing countries are beginning to modernize their infrastructure. With that modernization comes an increase in consumption.

One effective way to reduce power consumption is to use specialized glass coatings to retain visible light while rejecting the light frequencies that promote solar heat gain. Glassprimer™ glass paint is a specially engineered paint that’s designed to bond permanently with glass surfaces. It offers exceptional UV protection and will not chip, fade or peel, even in direct sunlight. It can be used in both residential and commercial applications, and it is suitable for interior or exterior use.

For 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: DGriebeling, via Flickr.com

Metallic glass gears could be headed to space

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Metallic glass gears could be headed to space

Metallic glass gears could be headed to space

Aerospace engineers are looking at metallic glass as a potential material for gearing systems used in space. The material, which is made by melting metal, then cooling it rapidly, may prove to be useful in space vehicles, remote controlled equipment and robots.

Metallic glass is a manmade substance that relies on rapid cooling – on the order of 1,800 degrees Celsius per second – of metal to prevent the material from crystallizing at the atomic level. Ordinarily, solids have a crystalline structure, which is rigid and ordered. Glass, on the other hand, cools in such a way to prevent molecular crystallization. Instead, the material hardens without crystallizing. The molecules that make up glass order themselves randomly. In their liquid states, metallic glasses can be molded and shaped easily, the same way that glass can be blown or shaped.

Using metallic glass is interesting to scientists because the material retains the strength of metal, but can operate at extremely low temperatures and without the need for lubrication. The ability to work without lubrication is key. On Earth, lubrication is necessary to reduce friction and wear, but it will freeze and become ineffective at low temperatures. In space, power – which can be hard to come by – must be diverted from a device to heaters designed to keep the lubricants flowing. Preliminary testing showed that metallic glass could operate effectively at temperatures below minus 300° F without the need for lubricants.

Metallic glass also sidesteps another important problem: brittleness. At extremely low temperatures, metals tend to become brittle, which makes them vulnerable to breakage. Metallic glasses are not brittle at low temperatures, so gear teeth are less likely to be damaged in hostile environments.

Metallic glass also lends itself to mass production and rapid production techniques. Metallic glass can be blow molded or injection molded. Both of these techniques can rapidly produce parts, which can reduce the overall cost of making space vehicles. They can also lower costs for non-aerospace applications that can take advantage of metallic glass.

Glassprimer™ glass paint is a specialized glass coating that bonds permanently to glass surfaces. GlassPrimer also makes a glass surface molecular activator that is designed to work with UV-inkjet glass printing processes. For 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: Alex Saunders, via Flickr.com

Iconic Glass Structures – Philharmonic Hall, Szczecin, Poland

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Iconic Glass Structures – Philharmonic Hall, Szczecin, Poland

Iconic Glass Structures – Philharmonic Hall, Szczecin, Poland

Philharmonic Hall in Szczecin, Poland was opened in 2014 as the second home of the Mieczysław Karłowicz Philharmonic Orchestra, which was founded in 1948. The building received the 2015 Mies van der Rohe Award, the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture. The building’s unique translucent ribbed glass façade and multi-pointed roofline give the building a visually striking, ghost-like appearance.

The building was built as a permanent replacement for the Konzerthaus, a building that was destroyed during World War II. The Philharmonic Hall is built on the former site of the Konzerthaus.The architects, Barozzi Veiga, of Spain, designed the building to blend in with much older existing structures that had survived the war. The building is 13,000 square meters and its exterior is covered with glass panels.

While the shape of the building was designed to complement existing structures, the translucent glass cladding and aluminum stripping allows the building to stand out. During the day, the building appears to be opaque white. At night, the lights from the hall illuminate the building, giving it a warm glow. The interior of the building makes heavy use of white. The majority of the interior is white. The symphony hall and the chamber music hall are two exceptions. The symphonic hall is predominantly gold. The chamber music room is mostly black.

The building – minus the symphonic space – is lit by skylights and natural light during the day. The auditorium is sculpted to enhance the orchestral experience. In addition, the building also has a smaller space for chamber music and spaces for conferences and exhibitions. The orchestra hall seats about 950 guests. The chamber music room seats about 200 guests.

The history of Szczecin is long and complicated, but the city was given to Poland in 1945 as a reparation for land lost to the Soviet Union. Most of the city’s population at that time left the city, and Poles resettled there following the war. The majority of the city’s residents would have no recollection of the original Konzerthaus, but welcome the Philharmonic Hall as a part of the city’s evolution.

Glassprimer™ glass paint is a specialized glass coating that bonds permanently to glass surfaces. GlassPrimer also makes a glass surface molecular activator that is designed to work with UV-inkjet glass printing processes. For 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: Maciek Lulko, via Flickr.com

Ben Franklin’s Glass Armonica

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Ben Franklin's Glass Armonica

Ben Franklin’s Glass Armonica

Never heard of the glass armonica? And no, that’s not a typo. The glass armonica (also known as the glass harmonica, the glass harmonium and the bowl organ) was invented by none other than Benjamin Franklin, and he considered it his finest invention. What is the glass armonica and what made it so unique?

The glass armonica is a series of 37 spinning, color-coded glass bowls that create sound when friction is applied. The glass bowls are precisely sized, and vibrate to create sounds. The bowls spin by means of a foot-operated treadle, much like a spinning wheel. The glass armonica creates a wider range of tones than a set of filled glasses could, and it eliminated the need for standing liquid – and its obvious disadvantages!

Frankin’s design also allowed the musician to play as many as 10 notes at one time. Using liquid filled glasses, playing multiple notes at one time wasn’t possible. By allowing the musician to play multiple notes, the glass armonica could create a much richer musical experience for the listener.

The glass armonica was born of Franklin’s love of music, and the armonica was the first musical instrument invented by an American. The principle of the armonica is simple. It’s based off of the fact that glasses filled with varying amounts of fluid (usually water) can be made to resonate at different frequencies.

Mid-18th century Europeans enjoyed concerts performed by musicians who used glassware to create sounds. As part of Franklin’s diplomatic duties, he was sent to London in the late 1750’s to attempt to persuade the British government to grant some form of self-governance to the colonies, including Franklin’s home state of Pennsylvania.

Franklin attended a “glass” concert, and while he enjoyed the music, he thought that the delivery could be improved and the armonica was born. It was an instant hit in Europe. Major composers wrote music for it, and crowds loved it.

The glass armonica was popular for about 150 years, but fell out of popularity by about 1900. Very few glass armonicas exist today. The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia received one from the descendents of Ben Franklin, but it is rarely displayed. Another is owned by the Bakken Museum in Minneapolis. Neither instrument has its original glass bowls. The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston also has an armonica from the 1800’s, which it sometimes makes available for public performances.

Mozart, Beethoven and Strauss, as well as dozens of other composers from the 18th and 19th centuries created works especially for the armonica, although most of the music for it has been lost to the ravages of time. In the 1980’s, the armonica enjoyed a resurgence in popularity, and a number of prominent contemporary artists have created new music for the instrument.

Glassprimer™ glass paint is a specialized glass coating that bonds permanently to glass surfaces. GlassPrimer also makes a glass surface molecular activator that is designed to work with UV-inkjet glass printing processes. For 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: Tonamel, via Flickr.com

New glass lens could revolutionize ultrasound

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New glass lens could revolutionize ultrasound

New glass lens could revolutionize ultrasound

Ultrasound waves are used extensively in medical treatment, diagnostics and materials research, but a new advancement in the field could extend the technology’s bag of tricks. Researchers at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore have found a way to modify a glass “lens” to more precisely focus an ultrasound beam.

With better control over the ultrasound waves, doctors could use ultrasound to perform surgery, control devices and better understand the properties of materials. Current ultrasound devices can make only planar waves, which aren’t very precise. A new type of ultrasound, called “laser generated focused ultrasound” uses a modified glass lens to convert laser pulses to acoustic waves.

Laser pulses strike the glass lens, which is coated with a specialized carbon coating. The laser generates heat, which causes the carbon particles to expand quickly. The expanding carbon particles create high-frequency, high-pressure waves that can be focused and controlled.

The shape of the lens is important to the type of control it provides, and as it turns out, glass isn’t as flexible as some other materials. Researchers also used 3-D printers to create customized lenses that can focus an acoustic wave in multiple places simultaneously. The printed lenses cost about $2 each, and use common production materials.

The new ultrasound technique may also create advances in microfluidics and medical treatments that focus on cell-based therapies. Currently, ultrasound can be used to treat conditions like kidney stones and cancer, but more precise control could lead to more effective, less invasive treatments. The technique could also be used to perform cataract surgery, which currently uses lasers. Although laser therapy for cataract removal is safe, ultrasound destruction of cataracts could reduce complications and shorten recovery times.

Glassprimer™ glass paint is a specialized glass coating that bonds permanently to glass surfaces. GlassPrimer also makes a glass surface molecular activator that is designed to work with UV-inkjet glass printing processes. For 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 Malone, via Flickr.com