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New film can make any glass “smart”

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New film can make any glass "smart"

New film can make any glass “smart”

Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have developed a new electrochromic film that can turn any ordinary glass window into a “smart” one. The film can be applied to any kind of glass at low temperatures, and requires only a few volts to lighten or darken the material. The material is able to control both light and heat, and could improve the energy efficiency of ordinary windows.

The Texas researchers collaborated with scientists in France and Spain to create the material. The material, which contains niobium oxide, is about twice as efficient as conventional smart windows. The film is classified as an amorphous structure, which means that its atoms do not ordinarily arrange in a typical crystalline structure.

Conventional materials adopt a uniform, crystalline structure that is replicated throughout the material. Amorphous materials, on the other hand, contain local arrangements of atoms that differ based on the material. Amorphous materials created at high temperatures tend to arrange themselves in dense, three-dimensional bonds. The researchers were able to determine that the new material, which is formed at lower temperatures, does not have the dense 3-D structure, but rather has a linear structure that allows ions to flow more freely through the material. The discovery provided enough information to predict the behavior of the new material and allow the other team members to create it.

The arrangement of atoms in amorphous structures determines what the materials can do. The researchers can use the technique to predict the behavior of other amorphous materials and optimize their performance. The researchers are now focusing on creating a low-temperature flexible material using the new compounds that performs as well as or better than conventional electrochromic materials. Being able to mass-produce the material at low temperatures will simplify the manufacturing process and make it both readily available and affordable.

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: Matt Taylor, via Flickr.com

Bauhaus Glass Paintings Displayed in Dallas

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Bauhaus Glass Paintings Displayed in Dallas

Bauhaus Glass Paintings Displayed in Dallas

The Dallas Museum of Art recently received a pair of Bauhaus glass paintings from the estate of Jim Clark. The paintings, created by Josef Albers, were among the few survivors of the closure of the Bauhaus when it operated in Dessau.

The paintings were shipped in two crates from Europe when Albers and his wife Anni (Fleischmann) Albers emigrated to the United States. One of the crates was damaged in transit and all of the works inside were broken. The Clark gift contains two works from the second, undamaged crate, along with a series of other paintings by Albers.

The glass paintings, entitled Walls and Screens (ca. 1928) and Windows (ca. 1929) feature designs of colored blocks applied to flashed, sandblasted glass. The DMA restored the works to their original condition, to protect them and allow them to be displayed publicly.

Bauhaus was a German art school that operated for just 14 years in the early part of the 20th century, but its legacy is undeniable. The term literally translates to “construction house.” The school was founded in Weimar in 1919 by Walter Gropius. His concept was to bring together all forms of art into one school and reunite the arts with crafts.

Albers was Roman Catholic German schoolteacher who trained as a painter and printmaker in the early 20th century. He worked in many media, but is particularly known for his work with glass. Even though he trained as a painter, Albers created magnificent stained glass pieces, and was asked to join the faculty of the Bauhaus as a stained glass maker in 1922, shortly after the school opened.

Albers fit well with Gropius’ vision of the Bauhaus as a place where arts and crafts came together because he possessed so many practical and aesthetic creative skills. As a faculty member, Albers collaborated with other artists like Paul Klee and Wassily Kandinsky.

The school moved to Dessau in 1925 and moved again to Berlin in 1932. Its third and last director, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe is considered one of the founders of the modernist architecture movement, along with other notable architects like Gropius and Frank Lloyd Wright.

The Bauhaus style in encapsulated in van der Rohe’s “less is more” philosophy. Bauhaus style includes simplicity and functionality. Simplicity lends itself to mass production, and that’s one reason the Bauhaus style became so popular among “ordinary” objects – furniture, decoration and interior design.

Because it was mass producible, the Bauhaus style was also readily deployable following World War II, when European cities were reconstructed and construction boomed in US cities. It made heavy use of common materials and simple, yet highly functional and highly elegant designs.

The Bauhaus closed its doors permanently in 1933, in response to pressure from the Nazi regime. Prominent staff members from the Bauhaus relocated around the world and promulgated the Bauhaus style of art education. Josef and Anni, who was Jewish, moved to the United States following the closure of the Bauhaus. Albers accepted a job at Black Mountain College in North Carolina, thanks in part to a recommendation by noted architect Philip Johnson, who was the curator of the Museum of Modern Art at that time.

For more information about the Albers collection at the DMA, please visit the Dallas Museum of Art website.

Photo Credit: Gaku, via Flickr.com

Recycling commercial glass

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Recycling commercial glass

Recycling commercial glass

Glass is easily one of the most recyclable of building materials, but commercial glass doesn’t often get recycled. Instead, most commercial glass ends up in the landfill. Why is that the case, and does it really have to be this way?

Even though glass is a very popular construction material, most commercial glass is already installed in existing structures. Because buildings are intended to last for a long time, the original glass often stays in place until someone undertakes the cost of remodeling or rehabilitation, or the building gets demolished.

Renovations, remodeling and rehabilitation all present an excellent opportunity to update commercial glass. The primary motivator for such an update is usually energy efficiency. In rehab situations, it may be necessary to replace windows that have been broken, especially if a building has been empty for quite some time.

Aside from these special situations, updating the windows in a building usually isn’t a high priority, largely because of the expense involved. When windows are removed or replaced, they’re usually carted off to the landfill, as part of the larger collection of construction debris.

When buildings are demolished, there is little incentive to remove the windows prior to demolition. There’s also very little financial incentive to do so. The market for recyclable glass is very small, so it costs less and takes less effort to ship old glass to the landfill.

Modern commercial windows rarely contain ordinary glass. Laminated glass, tinted glass and safety glass dominate the commercial construction landscape. Other specialized glasses – such as low-e glass – also have coatings and other additives that make recycling difficult, if not impossible.

While these types of glasses can’t be recycled, they may find additional use in fiberglass products or as components of concrete, asphalt or as landfill cover.

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: Meriwether Lewis Elementary, via Flickr.com

Who wants to live in a glass house?

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Who wants to live in a glass house?

Who wants to live in a glass house?

When you say “The Hamptons” and “real estate” in the same sentence, you’re bound to generate a lot of interest. One interesting property that’s currently on the market is a $5.5 million, 10,000-sq. ft, 6-bedroom, 6-bathroom home with a custom Scavolini kitchen, Gaggenau appliances, radiant floor heating, air conditioning, skylights, a heated pool and a garage. It also has floor to ceiling windows throughout. Yes, it’s all-glass.

If you’re worried about nosy neighbors, we note that the home is situated on nearly 2 acres and surrounded by trees. Lots of trees. And a 20-acre preserve.

The home was designed by Juan Figueroa and engineered by Jeff Smilow, who also engineered NYC’s Freedom Tower. The two-story home features two independent staircases that lead either to one of two master suites or four guest bedrooms. A quick trip through a basement tunnel will get you out to the home’s four-car detached garage.

The glass home design isn’t new. The late architect Phillip Johnson popularized the post-modern “glass house” design with his iconic Glass House, which he built in 1949 and where he resided until his death in 2005 at the age of 98. Built in New Canaan, CT, the structure, along with three companion buildings are now a National Trust for Historic Preservation site. Johnson was heavily influenced by German architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, one of the fathers of modern architecture.

While the house in the Hamptons is a Johnson-style all-glass abode, most “glass house” designs feature glass on one or two sides that often face a scenic view. Heavy use of glass is becoming a thing for homes on both coasts that are lucky enough to have an ocean view. Architectural elements like glass staircases that appear to float from floor to floor are also a welcome addition.

If an all-glass home isn’t in your budget, you can still make excellent use of glass in decorating your own home, often with a little help from Glassprimer™ glass paint.

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: Douglas Elliman Real Estate

Jail awaits fire glass faker

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Jail awaits fire glass faker

Jail awaits fire glass faker

An Irish glass manufacturer who sold ordinary laminated glass as fire-rated glass received a sentence of 12 months in jail earlier this month. Glassworks Ireland sold the ersatz fire glass to schools, hospitals, universities, churches and nursing homes throughout Ireland, England and other European countries.

Fire-safe glass is typically rated in minutes, and describes the amount of time the glass can withstand fire and heat damage before failing. The purpose of fire-rated glass is not to prevent fire from spreading, but rather to increase the amount of time available for building occupants to make a safe escape. In addition, fire-rated safety glass uses special framing that is matched to the fire resistance of the glazing.

The fake fire glass is actually ordinary laminated glass, which can be purchased for around $1-$2 per square foot. After re-labeling it as fire-related glass, the company resold it for $18 – $33 per square foot. Prosecutors are not aware of any injuries that could be attributed to the phony glass.

The company sold the glass for about two years, and prosecutors claim that owner Seamus Laverty made about $175,000 in profits on the fraud. The judge noted that while his profits were not outrageous, the potential danger he created and the environments in which he placed the inadequate glass demanded a sentence that included jail time.

The investigation conducted by the Police Service of Northern Ireland relied on dozens of building contractors who assisted in identifying the affected glass. To date, the agency has identified nearly 100 sites where the glass was installed. Police estimate that the final cost of the fraud, which has yet to be confirmed, exceeds $600,000. The company has already begun replacing the laminated glass with genuine fire-rated safety 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: There is no roseability, via Flickr.com

Light emitting glass from Down Under

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Light emitting glass from Down Under

Light emitting glass from Down Under

Researchers at the University of Adelaide have developed light-emitting glass. The panes of glass can be used to make highly transparent displays. Because the glass does not lose any of its natural characteristics, it can still be formed into virtually any shape.

To create the glass, the researchers used a technique called direct doping. The technique involves combining both the glass and the previously prepared light-emitting nanoparticles under precise manufacturing conditions and closely controlled temperatures. Managing the temperature allows both materials to retain most of their unique characteristics. The technique is also simpler than other specialized glass fabricating techniques.

Light-emitting glass could be useful in a number of different applications. According to the researchers, the glass could be useful in medical imaging, sensing, and volumetric displays. One potential application (that has yet to be developed), would allow physicians to use light-emitting glass sensors to enter areas of the body that have traditionally been difficult to access, or that are currently only examined with fluorescent dyes.

The scientists created light-emitting glass because they combined glass with photonic particles. The technique could be used to combine glass with other types of particles to make a whole host of glass-hybrid materials. For example, the same technique could be used with electronic, magnetic or other kinds of photonic particles to create conductive or magnetic glass, or glasses with other light-related properties.

The simplicity of the manufacturing technique will allow the researchers (and research teams at other universities) to create and test a range of new materials relatively quickly. Because the specialized nanoparticles are prepared prior to production, the researchers can easily predict the behavior of the resulting hybrid 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: Jeff Wilcox, via Flickr.com

Iconic Glass Structures – PPG Place

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Iconic Glass Structures – PPG Place

Iconic Glass Structures – PPG Place

PPG Place in Pittsburgh, PA is a complex of six buildings that serve as the headquarters for PPG Industries. The buildings are covered more than 1,000,000 square feet of PPG’s Solarban 550 Twindow glass– nearly 20,000 individual panes of glass and more than 230 glass spires. The glass panels give the complex a dark, mirrored appearance.

The complex is anchored by 1 PPG Place, a 40-story glass tower. The complex also contains a 14-story building and four 6-story buildings. The entire neogothic complex was designed by Phillip Johnson. Johnson’s design was inspired by the nearby Cathedral of Learning and Victoria Tower in London. Construction began on the complex in 1981, and the buildings were dedicated in 1984. PPG Place was one of the last buildings designed by Johnson, who is also credited with other iconic structures including the Crystal Cathedral in Anaheim, the Lipstick Building and the Sony Tower (formerly the AT&T Building), both in New York City.

The energy efficient design separates the building’s interior and its exterior. The exterior glass helps reflect infrared light, which reduces the overall energy consumption of the buildings. The complex also features an outdoor skating rink which is open to the public in the winter. In summer months, the ice rink area features seating and a fountain.

In 2011, the complex was sold to Highwoods Properties. Other retail and commercial tenants also occupy space in the complex, which is about 90% occupied. Highwoods has made a series of controversial changes to the street-level façade of the tower as concessions to its tenants. At the same time, the company has also made improvements and renovations that have been well-received.

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: zharth , via Flickr.com

Glass U-values – what are they?

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Glass U-values – what are they?

Glass U-values – what are they?

The insulating ability of a material is known as its “R-value.” An R-value describes how quickly a material will lose heat. U-value looks at heat loss differently. Instead of measuring how quickly something will lose heat, the U-value measures how well a material resists losing heat. The R-value and the U-value of a material measure opposite qualities.

The quality of insulation is measured using an R-value. The higher the value, the slower a material will lose heat. The insulating quality of glass is measured with a U-value. In Europe, U-values are also applied to walls. Knowing how well something insulates, or how quickly it will lose heat helps people to understand the energy costs associated with a material.

U-values describe heat transfer – whether heat is moving into or out of a building. The lower the U-value, the better the material will resist heat transfer. For controlling energy consumption, it’s important to control heat transfer. With regard to windows, all components of the window have a U-value. That means window glass has a U-value, but so does the window frame. The glazing on the glass has its own U-value. Materials with very different U-values that are used to make a unit like a window can reduce the unit’s overall ability to stop the transfer of heat. The more similar the U-value of a unit’s components, the more similar the U-value of the finished product will be. Glass has a low R-value, so by definition, it has a high U-value.

The “leakiest” part of a window is actually the window frame. Small windows end up with a high U-value (which is bad), because the frame – which is the weakest link – comprises a larger proportion of the window unit than the frame of a large window. That’s important to keep in mind. Glass isn’t a great insulator, but the window frame and the glazing actually have a bigger impact on the window’s energy efficiency.

Glass coatings can change the performance of glass. Glassprimer™ glass paint is one good example. Glassprimer™ glass paint is highly UV-resistant, which means that it can block the transmission of UV light waves, which tend to cause colors to fade, and can help reduce solar heat gain by reducing the overall transmission of the full spectrum of 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: Greener Leith , via Flickr.com

Glass coated hypodermic needle could ease pain

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Glass coated hypodermic needle could ease pain

Glass coated hypodermic needle could ease pain

No one likes getting shots, but a newly developed glass-coated hypodermic needle could reduce the amount of pain associated with getting shots or taking blood samples. Researchers at the National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (NTUST), working with researchers from the University of Tokushima and the University of New Mexico have developed a hypodermic needle coated with metallic glass.

The researchers say that the metallic glass coating reduces pain when the needle is inserted and also improves the performance of the needle. According to researchers, metallic glass has certain properties that reduce the friction associated with the surface of the needle. Friction between the surface of the needle and the skin or other living tissue causes resistance, which in turn causes pain. Longer and larger needles cause more pain because the larger surface generates more friction upon insertion.

Friction doesn’t just cause pain upon when the needle is being inserted. Friction is also generated when the needle is withdrawn because typical metals have a natural surface grain. Movement in any direction causes tissue to “catch” on the surface grain.

Researchers say that applying a metallic glass coating to the needle reduces friction by 2/3rds when the needle is being inserted, and reduces friction by nearly 3/4ths when the needle is being withdrawn. In some experiments, friction was reduced by 80%.

Large-bore needles are typically lubricated because lubrication is known to reduce friction, and insertion pain. Smaller gauge needles are typically not lubricated; these needles are often used in dental procedures, suturing and other medical procedures. Metallic glass coatings could also be used to reduce friction in other non-medical applications, and are of interest to manufacturing and materials sciences engineers.

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: Alden Chadwick , via Flickr.com

What price glass?

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What price glass?

What price glass?

The current construction boom has had an impact on the price of glass, but industry experts are still divided as to what that will mean for new buildings on the drawing board. According to some analysts, the price of architectural glass has increased by 25% to 50% in the last decade.

The majority of new “signature” commercial construction projects make heavy use of architectural glass, but the demand for glass has outstripped supply, leading to steady price increases. About one-third of the float-glass plants in the United States closed during the economic downturn that began in the mid-2000’s. The loss of production capacity is contributing to delays and cost increases for architectural glass.

The result has been a consistent, annual increase in the price of glass by about 6%-8%. Suppliers are also looking for alternative sources for exterior glass, including imports from other parts of the world. Glass has traditionally been produced locally because it is heavy and expensive to transport. Shipping glass in from distant producers both increases the cost and causes delays.

Some glass manufacturers are looking to acquire additional glassmaking plants, both shuttered and in active production to address the issue of product availability. In the meantime, construction managers are advised to plan ahead for their glass needs and to place orders for glass well in advance of their installation schedules.

Glass is particularly attractive as a construction material because it can be fabricated off-site and shipped to the building under construction. In addition, it’s inexpensive, compared to other traditional façade materials like brick or granite. Glass buildings also permit more interior floor space than buildings that are designed to use traditional building 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: ML Duong , via Flickr.com