Call us at 888.619.2226

Iconic Glass Structures – Capital Gate, Abu Dhabi

/in , /by
Iconic Glass Structures – Capital Gate, Abu Dhabi

Iconic Glass Structures – Capital Gate, Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi is the home of a number of iconic glass structures. One of the most recognizable buildings is the Capital Gate. Built in 2010, the Capital Gate is a 35-story hotel and office complex that has a pronounced, 18° lean. The Capital Gate holds the distinction of being the world’s furthest leaning manmade tower.

Structure leans more than any building in the world

The glass and steel structure is built using a pre-cambered core, which allows the building to lean without the danger of collapse. The core is built slightly off-center and anchored with nearly 500 pilings buried nearly 100 feet underground.

The building also uses a “diagrid” technique to counteract seismic forces and the effects of wind. The first 12 floors of the building are built directly on top of each other. The remaining floors are offset between .3 and 1.4 meters to achieve the building’s signature swirl shape. The building is part of the larger Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, which is owned by the Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company.

The Capital Gate is not the tallest building in Abu Dhabi, but it is distinctive, nonetheless. The building’s lean is nearly four times that of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. It also features a “splash canopy” that helps to shield the office tower from the sun. By shielding the glass on the sunny side of the building, the splash canopy reduces energy consumption and makes the office floors more comfortable. The building is a combination of architecture and engineering, and has won numerous design awards since its opening.

The Capital Gate is home to the Hyatt Capital Gate Hotel, a 189-room luxury hotel, which occupies the upper floors of the Capital Gate building. The hotel rooms feature floor-to-ceiling windows, an outdoor lounge and spa area.It is also attached to the largest convention and exhibition venue in the Middle East.

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

Photo Credit: Djordje Radovanovic , via Flickr.com

GE Lighting Glass Plant To Close

/in , /by

GE Lighting Glass Plant To Close

GE Lighting Glass Plant To Close

General Electric has announced that it will close its 98-year old Lighting Glass Plant in Bridgeville, PA by August 2017. The plant manufactures incandescent, halogen and linear fluorescent lighting products. According to Eric Dejohn, president of IUE-CWA Local 88640, the plant is not equipped to make more efficient lighting products. Many newer lighting products do not use glass.

Incandescent glass bulbs may be revived

Further, federal regulations have recently raised energy efficiency standards for light bulbs. In many cases, traditional glass incandescent bulbs don’t meet efficiency requirements. According to the company, revenues from incandescent lighting products have declined steadily in the past several years, as consumers switch to more efficient LED lighting products.

Keeping the Bridgeville plant open would require a major upgrade to the facility, which the company is not prepared to commit to. In addition, about three-fourths of the Bridgeville workers are eligible to retire. The plant currently operates at about 20% of its total production capacity. It was originally opened in 1907 and was purchased by General Electric in 1918. The company closed the plant for three years during the Great Depression, but resumed continuous production at the facility in 1938.

If you’re thinking that this signs the death certificate for traditional glass light bulbs, hold that thought. Earlier this year, researchers at MIT announced that they had developed a new fabrication technique for traditional glass bulbs that made them about three times more efficient than LED bulbs.

Traditional incandescents are about 5% efficient. In other words, about 95% of the energy they consume is lost as heat. LED bulbs are about 14% efficient. The experimental bulb created by MIT could be as much as 40% efficient, a whopping improvement. By encasing the filament in a special crystallized coating, they can reflect the energy that would typically be lost as heat back into the filament. This allows the bulb to draw less energy by “recycling” waste energy.

One common complaint about LED lights is that they don’t look “natural.” The MIT bulb produces a broad spectrum of light and can be used to create a variety of color temperatures.

The light’s color emissions may allow researchers to address concerns that LED lights are “too blue” and disrupt the body’s natural circadian rhythms. New research shows that exposure to blue light, especially from device screens and LED lights at night, can wreak havoc with the body’s clock. This causes sleep disruptions and other unintended health consequences.

The availability of natural light is key to creating a healthy work and living environment. Glass coatings like Glassprimer™ glass paint can help create interior environments that transmit natural light while still offering privacy. Glassprimer™ glass paint is formulated to bond permanently to glass surfaces, and will not chip, fade or peel, even when exposed to direct sunlight.

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: Gang Chen, MIT

Humber Bridge Could Get Glass Elevator

/in , /by

Humber Bridge Could Get Glass Elevator

Humber Bridge Could Get Glass Elevator

In a bid to attract more tourists to the Humber region, Peter Hill, the bridge master and general manager of the Humber Bridge has proposed the construction of a glass elevator. According to Hill, the glass elevator could attract nearly 250,000 visitors annually. In addition to the elevator, Hill is proposing the construction of a new restaurant, shops, a 60-room hotel and a three-story office complex near the bridge.

Glass elevator plan could boost regional tourism

The Humber Bridge traverses the junction of the Trent and Ouse rivers. It connects North Lincolnshire and East Yorkshire, and was opened in 1981. It has a height of about 510 feet and spans about 1.4 miles. At that time, it was the longest single span suspension bridge in the world. Today, it is the eighth-longest bridge of its kind, and carries about 120,000 vehicles per week.

The bridge was originally planned in the 1930’s but wasn’t built. The bridge plans were revised again in the mid-1950’s, but again, construction was delayed. Construction of the span began in 1972 with a goal of opening the bridge to traffic in 1976. Construction delays prevented the timely completion of the project, and the bridge was finally opened in 1981.

The proposed elevator would take visitors nearly to the top of one of the bridge’s two towers. Once at the top, visitors will be able to enter a glass observation platform, giving a 306° view of the rivers and the Humber region.

According to Hill, the project would create as many as 400 jobs and generate more than £16,000,000 annually in tourist-related revenue. Currently, the plan calls for a 15-month construction schedule. If the plans are approved and construction begins immediately, the elevator could be ready for its first visitors near the end of 2017.

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

Photo Credit: Andi Campbell-Jones, via Flickr.com

Backpainted glass a hit for home décor

/in , /by
Backpainted glass a hit for home décor

Backpainted glass a hit for home décor

If you’re looking for a quick, cost-effective way to update your kitchen, consider backpainted glass or backpainted Plexiglas™. Backpainting does not require special tools, and you can complete backpainted projects in a few hours or days. You’ll want to use Glassprimer™ glass paint because ordinary paint won’t stick to glass.

Backpainted glass is easy to make, install

Backpainted glass makes a great surface for backsplashes, walls and cabinet fronts. If you’re worried about the weight of a glass surface, you can also use Plexiglas™ and achieve a similar effect. Backpainted Plexiglas™ is a great alternative for cabinet fronts because it is very lightweight and will not put extra stress on the hinges. You can use Plexiglas™ to quickly reface existing cabinet fronts that have worn or been damaged.

To backpaint, you’ll need glass or Plexiglas™ that’s been cut to size. If you intend to use glass near a stove, you’ll want to use tempered glass. Consult with a glass shop to be sure you get the exact size glass you need. Once glass has been tempered it can’t be cut, so you need to start with glass that’s ready to go.

Glass and Plexiglas™ require minimal surface preparation before you apply Glassprimer™ glass paint. Surface prep includes washing the surface of the glass with rubbing alcohol and lightly abrading it with fine steel wool. This will remove oils and other surface contaminants that may prevent the paint from adhering to the surface.

Dry the surface with ordinary paper towels. (Don’t use the lint-free kind; the store brand cheapies are ideal here.) That’s it! You’re ready to apply Glassprimer™ glass paint to the glass surface.

Glassprimer™ glass paint is engineered to form a permanent bond to the glass, so once the paint is cured, it won’t come off. The paint dries to the touch in a few hours, and you can recoat once the paint is dry. The easiest paint application method is spraying with a high-volume, low-pressure paint sprayer. You can find these at any home improvement store. An HVLP paint sprayer is ideal because it actually minimizes the amount of paint you need to cover a surface, while providing an even coating of paint. An HVLP paint sprayer works with any kind of paint, so you can add one to your kit and use it for any future paint project. You can also apply paint to glass or Plexiglas™ using a good quality brush or roller.

Once the paint is dry, you can flip the glass and mount it using a neutral cure silicone adhesive, also available at any home improvement store.

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: Heather Hancock, via Flickr.com

Shatterproof glass worked in NYC

/in , /by
Shatterproof glass worked in NYC

Shatterproof glass worked in NYC

Following the 9/11 attacks, New York City required many buildings to retrofit with shatterproof glass. The benefits of the retrofit were evident last week when homemade bombs exploded in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood. While the blasts did cause some limited damage, one thing that did not happen is that street-level glass didn’t shatter or break as the result of the explosions.

Shatterproof glass required after 9/11

Surveillance video of the area during the blast showed just what the city hoped – windows remained intact, instead of showering broken glass onto pedestrians in the street. Shatterproof glass contains a layer of plastic between two panes of glass. When the shatterproof glass panes break, they don’t shatter randomly, like ordinary glass. Instead, the broken glass remains bonded together – exactly what’s needed in situations like the one in Chelsea.

Shatterproof glass isn’t new; in fact, it’s more than 100 years old. The first patent for breakage-resistant glass was issued in 1909, although the glass itself was invented in 1902. The need for shatterproof glass became evident when manufacturers first started incorporate glass into automobiles. By the mid-1930’s, shatterproof glass was standard in automobiles.

Shatterproof glass may have been a required component of automobiles for more than 80 years, but it typically isn’t required in ordinary buildings. While the Uniform Building Code has required shatterproof glass in buildings since 1991, the requirements focused primarily on doors, glass panels in and near doors, and glass in safety situations. Very large windows, windows in close proximity to a walking surface, and glass in wet areas like bathrooms, may also be made of shatterproof glass. The NYC requirements focused on windows, regardless of their proximity to doors, walking paths or even size.

Tempered glass is a form of safety glass, but it’s far from shatterproof. In fact, tempered glass is known to shatter in a rather explosive way. The benefit of tempered glass in a breakage situation is that like shatterproof glass, it doesn’t break randomly. Tempered glass, which is heat-treated and specially cooled at the time of manufacture, breaks into uniform pieces that won’t create significant injuries, even if the pieces become airborne.

Shatterproof glass looks like ordinary glass, and it can be decorated, painted or printed like ordinary glass. Glassprimer™ glass paint will create a permanent bond with tempered glass, thanks to its specially engineered nature. In addition to resisting chipping, peeling and fading, it also offers superior UV resistance.

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: Will Taylor, via Flickr.com

MIT Researchers Develop Switchable Glass

/in , /by
MIT Researchers Develop Switchable Glass

MIT Researchers Develop Switchable Glass

Switchable glass – glass that changes from transparent to opaque and back again – isn’t new, but researchers at MIT have developed a glass that uses power only when the glass switches. The stable-state switchable glass could significantly reduce energy consumption in buildings that receive direct sunlight, and also offer a low-power alternative to traditional switchable glass.

Switchable glass doesn’t require power

Typically, switchable glass requires power to remain in its opaque state. The regular (although low) power drain diminishes the savings that the glass generates. By developing glass that requires power only when it is actively switching states, the team has created a potentially new option for energy-saving glass.

The new glass is made from electrochromic materials, rather than photochromic ones. The new material switches states instantly when electricity is applied. In contrast, photochromic materials have a delayed response to the presence of light. Existing electrochromic materials also have similar limitations, and require constant power to retain their opacity.

Electrochromic materials rely on the movement of both electrons and positive ions to create an opaque effect. While electrons move very quickly, positively charged ions – which do the actual color-changing work, do not. When the electrical current is discontinued, the negative electrical state that attracts the positive ions is canceled, which also cancels the opacity of the glass.

The new glass uses metal-organic frameworks (MOF), which can conduct both electrons and positive ions very quickly. This eliminates the delay in achieving opacity. Another benefit of the technique is that the research team has been able to create a “near-black” color when the glass is opaque.

The glass also uses a combination of an organic material and a metal salt that self-assembles into a thin film that can switch between virtual transparency and virtual opacity quickly.

The glass is still experimental, and the researchers are currently working with very small glass. The next step is to increase the size of the glass and verify that the properties it displays on a small scale still work on a larger scale. If perfected, the glass could be used in buildings, airplanes and other locations where it can address issues of glare or energy consumption.

One way to address both glare and energy consumption today is through the use of Glassprimer™ glass paint. Glassprimer™ glass paint provides exceptional UV-light rejection while allowing visible light transmission. Glassprimer™ glass paint is applied directly to glass, and makes a permanent bond with the glass. It is suitable for both interior and exterior use, is available in virtually any color and costs about $1 per square foot.

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: Khalid Abdulaziz Kaabi and Dennis Sheberla

Bullseye Glass Targeted Again

/in , /by
Bullseye Glass Targeted Again

Bullseye Glass Targeted Again

Bullseye Glass, the Portland glass furnace at the center of the debate about toxic metals, is in the crosshairs again. This time, the State of Oregon is warning Bullseye about its selenium emissions.

New filtration system in place at Bullseye Glass

Bullseye began working again just this month, following a months-long hiatus from producing stained glass that uses heavy metals like cadmium, arsenic and lead. The company reduced its output to control emissions in February, after readings showed high concentrations of the heavy metals in the air around the plant.

The company installed a filtration system to recapture heavy-metal laced vapors that are produced when the furnace makes certain colors of stained glass. The newest warning comes just weeks after the company resumed full production. According to the state, a recent reading taken from the air around the plant showed selenium in a concentration of 887 nanograms/cu-meter, which exceeds the state’s monitoring trigger of 710 ng/cu-meter.

Since taking the reading, the State of Oregon has asked Bullseye to confirm that it is using no more than 5 pounds of selenium per day, and that it is making the glass only in furnaces that use the new filtration system. State officials believe that the filtration system recently installed should be able to filter selenium emissions from the plant if the producer maintains limited use of selenium.

The State of Oregon does not currently have a maximum allowable limit on selenium emissions, but the Oregon Health Authority and the state’s Department of Environmental Quality are working to develop that standard. While selenium does not cause major health or developmental problems, it can cause respiratory irritation, coughing, bronchitis and breathing problems in exposed individuals.

The Bullseye case is being monitored by the US Environmental Protection Agency and state agencies around the country, which are coping with the same environmental concerns about their own art glass production facilities. The US EPA may release new filtration standards and reduce threshold filtration requirements. That could eliminate the current exemptions in place for small glass producers.

Painted glass is an optional substitute for stained glass. Painted glass is in place in many historic structures and provides a similar effect to stained glass. If you’d like more information about painted glass or 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: David Bilbo, via Flickr.com

Iconic glass structures – La Estancia Chapel

/in , /by

Iconic glass structures - La Estancia Chapel

Iconic glass structures – La Estancia Chapel

The La Estancia Chapel in Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico is a unique glass structure that was commissioned and built in 2008. The structure was designed by Bunker Arquitectura, which was given the commission after one of Bunker’s architects chose the La Estancia Wedding Gardens as the site for his wedding.

Cuernavaca is about an hour south of Mexico city, and is in a tropical climate. The owner of the Wedding Garden was initially interested in building a masonry chapel on the grounds of the garden, and was intrigued by the idea of having the architect who was getting married design the chapel in which he would be wed.

Glass chapel was built in about four months

The architects designed a space that would take advantage of the natural beauty of the gardens. That meant forgoing the masonry chapel originally conceived by the owner.

Instead, the architects chose to work with glass, and created a chapel space that is open, airy and does not require air conditioning. The chapel is shaded by large jacaranda trees. The goal was to build the chapel while making a minimal impact on the environment, and no trees or other natural vegetation were removed to construct the building.

The design of the glass chapel was inspired by Tadao Ando’s Chapel of Light and Steven Holl’s Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. The four sides of the chapel feature open glass plates. On the altar end of the chapel, the glass forms an open, cross-shaped window that provides a view of the garden behind the chapel.

The chapel was designed and built in about four months. It includes electricity, but uses natural ventilation and permits the use of natural light for daytime ceremonies. The space is largely open, allowing personalized arrangements for seating and the ceremony itself. Flowers and other natural decorations are often used to customize the look of the space.

If you’re looking for more inspiration for decorating with glass, please visit the rest of our site. If you’re ready to tackle a glass decorating project that uses Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Bunker Arquitectura/Megs Inniss & Sebastian Suarez

Photovoltaic glass rises to the top

/in , /by
Photovoltaic glass rises to the top

Photovoltaic glass rises to the top

Designers are looking for ways to reduce energy consumption in commercial spaces, and photovoltaic glass is emerging as a viable solution. Photovoltaic glass converts sunlight to electricity, and is increasingly being used to reduce energy commercial energy demands.

Apple recently announced that it will install a photovoltaic glass floor into its San Francisco retail store. The floor is able to generate as much as 90,000 kWh of electricity annually. The company’s new headquarters are also fitted with photovoltaic glass, and is expected to generate an eye-popping 5 MWh of electricity each year.

Photovoltaic glass coatings and films increase solar efficiency

The efficiency of photovoltaic glass is generally below 20%, but new research is improving the efficiency of glass, and making effective solar installations possible in more locations. Heliatek, a German manufacturer, has just completed the second phase of a large solar project in Singapore, using HeliaFilm, a film intended to collect solar energy on building façades and rooftops. The film is designed specifically for use in Asia, as a way to boost energy collection and meet growing demands in urban areas. The installed film currently covers about 200 square meters of space and generates about 110kWh of electricity. A third stage, which will apply transparent films to the existing collector.

Other research aims to improve the transparency of photovoltaic glass. Typically, photovoltaic glass is dark – nearly opaque – to improve the collection potential of glass. A new approach to photovoltaic glass involves taking advantage of the large amount of glass surface available in modern commercial buildings. If films or other coatings could improve the efficiency of energy collection and the transparency of glass, solar energy could support a significant portion of the energy that each building consumes.

Another approach to reducing energy costs is to discourage solar heat gain. Coatings like paint can accomplish this. Glassprimer™ glass paint creates a permanent bond with the surface of the glass, and resists UV radiation. At the same time, the paint can permit natural light transmission.

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: Thomas Brown, via Flickr.com

Flat glass prices finally level out

/in , /by
Flat glass prices finally level out

Flat glass prices finally level out

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer Price Index (PPI), the price of flat glass leveled out in July, for the first time in five months. Prices increased just .1% in July and .2% in August, following months of full percentage increases. Overall, the price of flat glass has increased 8% since last year, owing in part to increased demand for glass and relative shortages in raw materials used in the production of glass. In addition, glass intended for new construction must meet higher energy and safety standards.

Flat glass demand increasing for construction, autos

The construction and automotive industries account for the two largest glass consumers. Overall, demand for glass is expected to exceed $130 billion by 2020. Demand is also increasing for specialty coated glasses and photovoltaic glasses. In construction, these glasses are used to decrease energy consumption by controlling both solar heat gain and seasonal energy losses.

Increasingly, the automotive industry is turning to specialized glass to support new safety features. This increased specialization spurred Safelite, the nation’s largest auto glass manufacturer, to announce that it intends to withdraw from the auto glass manufacturing market by October. The company will still provide auto glass replacement services, but will leave manufacturing to smaller, more agile producers.

An 8% increase in the price of glass over a single year does not seem overly dramatic, but since 2008, the price of flat glass has increased 25%-50%. Flat glass prices have increased virtually every month since 2012. The long-term price increase stems from the fact that during the height of the recession, nearly one-third of the nation’s glass manufacturing plants were taken out of service, and were not replaced. The reduction in the number of producers, combined with the increase in demand, has resulted in longer lead times for production and an increases in the price of the product.

Some consumers are looking overseas for additional product, but transportation issues and lead times often make the cost of importing glass a wash.

One alternative to specialized glass may be glass paint. Glassprimer™ glass paint is specially formulated to bond permanently with glass surfaces, and provides superior UV protection. Glass paint can still permit light transmission while controlling solar heat gain, and is available for about $1 per square foot.

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: M.L. Duong, via Flickr.com