Call us at 888.619.2226

Iconic Glass Structures – Bahrain World Trade Centre

/in , /by

Iconic Glass Structures – Bahrain World Trade Centre

Iconic Glass Structures – Bahrain World Trade Centre

The Bahrain World Trade Centre is a 50-story, glass-sheathed, twin tower building located in Manama, Bahrain. The sail-shaped towers incorporate wind turbines into three skywalks that connect the towers. The turbines catch incoming winds from the Persian Gulf, and can each generate 225 kW of power. The turbines, which measure nearly 100 feet in diameter, were estimated produce about 10%-15% of the electricity consumed by the tower occupants at the time of the building’s construction.

The London-based architectural firm Atkins designed the Bahrain World Trade Centre, and construction was completed in 2008. The design has won numerous awards for sustainability. The Bahrain World Trade Centre was the first tall building in the world to incorporate wind turbines into its design. Atkins used extensive wind-flow data from the site to determine the buildings’ final shape. The shape of the building maximizes wind flow between the towers, which optimizes the power output of the turbines.

The slope of the towers distributes airflow evenly to the turbines, which allows them to rotate at the same speed and generate similar power. Although the design projections estimated that the turbines would generate a maximum of 15% of the building’s electrical demand, actual operation shows that the turbines generate significantly more than the design projection. The positioning of the building has raised debate among architects, some of whom believe that if the buildings had been built in the exact opposite configuration, the turbines could have generated an additional 15% more power. Repositioning the turbines could have allowed them to generate 30% more power, making the building nearly completely self-sustaining.

The World Trade Centre is integrated into an existing hotel complex. Retail space and restaurants are also in operation on the towers lowest floors. The building features 45 occupied aboveground floors and one below-grade floor. Additional stories at the top of the tower are not occupied.

The building superstructure, which is made of steel and concrete, makes liberal use of glass in all occupied spaces, as well as public spaces and in the skywalks between towers. The low-emissivity glass reduces solar heat gain in the interior spaces. A buffer separates the interior space from the building’s exterior, also to reduce heat buildup. Chilled water cools the building’s interior, and reflecting pools provide evaporative cooling at ground level. The building’s low-leakage windows are operable.

If you’re looking for some 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: Photos By Clark , via Flickr.com

Study shows glass would benefit workers

/in , /by
Study shows glass would benefit workers

Study shows glass would benefit workers

A recent study by Sage Glass shows that most workers do not have adequate access to daylight in their workspaces. Additionally, workers in the survey characterized their workplaces as noisy and uncomfortable temperature-wise. The survey involved more than 400 office workers. Many of the issues the survey participants identified could be improved by changing the window glass in their office spaces.

Glass improvements could make employees happier

More than one-third of workers in the survey said that they had no access to windows near their workspace, and only two-thirds of those with access to windows had any ability to control incoming light with blinds or curtains. Even with limited control over daylight, 5 out of 6 workers said they would prefer to work near a window.

Two-thirds of workers with access to windows said that sunlight improves their mood while at work. Workers also reported that they believe that access to sunlight while at work improved their energy level, reduced their stress and made them more productive.

About half of the workers who had access to windows in their workspace reported that they had difficulty with glare, and reported headaches, eye pain, difficulty with concentration and lowered productivity as the result of glare. Survey respondents also reported that their office environment was often too hot or too cold, too dry, and too noisy.

The survey underscores the importance of glass in the workspace. Increased use of glass in office interiors can provide better access to daylight throughout the workday. In addition, better attention to controlling incoming daylight can help reduce glare, prevent excessive heat gain, reduce heat loss and provide passive humidity control in the workspace.

Glassprimer™ glass paint can provide light control by allowing daylight to pass through, while preventing ultraviolet and infrared light frequencies from increasing interior temperatures. Glassprimer™ glass paint is highly cost effective, providing coverage 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: Steven Mileham , via Flickr.com

Des Moines Apartment May Get Glass Pool

/in , /by

Des Moines Apartment May Get Glass Pool

Des Moines Apartment May Get Glass Pool

A 26-story apartment building proposed for construction in downtown Des Moines may include a cantilevered glass pool. The design calls for the 11,000-gallon glass pool to be suspended over the building’s west side. If built, the pool would have glass walls and a glass bottom panel, and would extend 11 feet beyond the edge of the building.

Blackbird Investments is building the $85 million development, and believes that the uniqueness of the glass pool will bring additional interest to the building. As designed, the structure can hold a pool about twice as large. According to the developers, the pool will add about $250,000 to the price of the building, and will be reserved for tenant use only. The glass walls of the pool will be about 6 inches thick, and consist of about 10 layers of laminated glass.

Cantilevered pools are relatively uncommon, and are found mostly at hotels in larger cities, and on cruise ships. The pool, if built, will be the only cantilevered pool in Des Moines.

Concrete provides the structure for cantilevered pools, and must take into account expansion and contraction that occurs naturally as the result of changes in temperature year-round. In the summer, the concrete deck can reach temperatures as high as 140° F. In the winter, temperatures can dip below 0° F. That variation in temperature can cause concrete to expand or contract by as much as in inch. Aside from temperature, the pool deck must also be able to accommodate movement in the building.

Swimmers will be able to see out the bottom of the pool, thanks to glass bottom panels. They’ll have a view of 801 Grand, the tallest building in Iowa, and Pappajohn Sculpture Park, a popular art installation in Des Moines.

Glassprimer™ glass paint is a specially engineered coating that bonds permanently to glass and other impervious surfaces. If you would like more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please see the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: designmilk, via Flickr.com

New Glass Bridge Closes Due To Popular Demand

/in , /by

New Glass Bridge Closes Due To Popular Demand

New Glass Bridge Closes Due To Popular Demand

If you’re planning to visit China’s newly opened Zhangjiajie National Forest Park and the Grand Canyon that surrounds it, here’s a quick travel tip: “Don’t.”

The company that operates the bridge shut the attraction down earlier today because it is “too popular.” The Zhangjiajie Bridge, which just opened on August 20, has proven to be too hard for visitors to resist. The bridge is designed to accommodate about 8,000 guests per day, but record crowds, estimated at 10 times the bridge’s daily maximum, have traveled to the Zhangjiajie National Park to see, and presumably cross, the bridge.

No word on when glass bridge will reopen

Company officials closed the bridge effective immediately, but rest assured that the closure isn’t permanent. Officials want to strategize and more properly prepare for the enormous number of visitors. Aside from the obvious long lines and the disappointment, visitors have been greeted with mounds of trash, no place to park and few amenities, including bottled water. Interest in the bridge has also spawned renewed interest in the rest of the park.

Officials made clear that there is nothing wrong with the bridge, and the attraction was closed to better allow them to manage the large number of visitors. They stress that there are no structural safety concerns with the bridge, but rather, they want to take a second shot at the logistics of moving such a large number of visitors through the park.

The bridge is the longest, highest glass bridge in the world, stretching about 1,400 feet across and rising about 1,000 feet in the air. Visitors might recognize the spectacular Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon and National Park because it served as the inspiration for some of the visuals in the movie “Avatar.”

Park officials had initially suggested that the glass bridge be closed on September 5, but the company that manages the attraction opted for an immediate shutdown to begin making improvements. Planned improvements include parking lot expansion, changes to the ticket-booking system and improvements to the company’s customer service approach.

The company has not yet said when it plans to reopen the glass bridge, but is working diligently to make the experience more enjoyable for everyone.

Glassprimer™ glass paint is a specially engineered coating that bonds permanently to glass and other impervious surfaces. If you would like more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please see the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Safelite Auto Glass Drops Manufacturing

/in , /by

Safelite Auto Glass Drops Manufacturing

Safelite Auto Glass Drops Manufacturing

Safelight Auto Glass announced last month that it will cease manufacturing operations by October 10, 2016. The company, based in Columbus, OH, is the nation’s largest auto glass installation company. The company’s manufacturing facility is located in Enfield, NC. As part of the closure, Safelite says that the first layoffs will begin in September.

Auto glass market on the verge of sea change

The decision to drop manufacturing doesn’t mean that Safelite is exiting the auto glass industry, but rather that the company will get its manufactured products from other suppliers. The company’s Enfield facility employs about 200 people and turns out about a million replacement windshields each year. Safelite will focus entirely on its windshield replacement service instead.

According to company officials, the decision to shutter the plant was based on the cost of the investments needed to maintain its position in the replacement windshield industry. Officials at Safelite said that the number of modifications required to meet both consumer demand and new automotive technologies, like Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, led to the plant’s demise.

Advanced Driver Assistance Systems come in a variety of forms, and may include imaging and image processing, computer vision, head-up displays, computer displays, LIDAR, radar and other display technologies. Each vehicle or manufacturer may have its own technologies, which may or may not integrate closely with the vehicle’s windshield. Additionally, auto manufacturers are introducing ADAS technologies at a rapid pace. Driver assistive technologies are currently among the fastest growing segments in automotive electronics.

According to the company, the days of plain glass windshields are numbered. The company’s manufacturing facility could not make the investments necessary to create the large variety of enhanced replacement automotive windshields. The Enfield facility was opened in 1970, but Safelite has made auto glass since 1947.

Other suppliers are expected to fill in the gaps left by Safelite, but it is unlikely that a single glass manufacturer will capture the majority of the ADAS windshield market. Safelite currently manufactures more than 1,000 distinct auto glass products at the plant.

Glassprimer™ glass paint is a specially engineered coating that bonds permanently to glass and other impervious surfaces. If you would like more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please see the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Jared Kelly, via Flickr.com

Glass coating technique reduces heat gain

/in , /by

Glass coating technique reduces heat gain

Glass coating technique reduces heat gain

Researchers at the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology in Abu Dhabi have developed an inexpensive glass coating technique that reduces solar heat gain nearly as much as more expensive techniques currently used on low-emissivity glass.

Air conditioning accounts for about 75% of Abu Dhabi’s peak daily electricity usage, so reducing demand for air conditioning is critical, especially in modern all-glass buildings. Low-emissivity glass is a standard material, but it is expensive.

Typically, low-emissivity glass is coated multiple times using thin silver films and other materials. The layers are applied using a vapor deposition technique, which is relatively slow and expensive. In addition, depending upon the materials in the deposition layers, low emissivity coatings can reduce the transmissibility of visible light, and can change the appearance of the glass by giving it a red or brown cast.

The Masdar Institute glass coating technique is significant because it reduces the cost of manufacturing low-e glass. The technique still uses vapor deposition to apply the coating, but the coating itself has been changed. The team used an inexpensive metal-oxide layer that is nearly as effective in blocking light waves from the non-visible spectrum. Unlike traditional silver-based coatings, the metal-oxide coating is applied only once. This shortens the production time without significantly sacrificing performance.

Reducing the number of times a coating must be applied, and using less expensive materials that are nearly as effective, reduces the cost of production and acquisition. It also preserves the clear/neutral appearance of glass, which makes it a desirable option for new construction.

The coating material is still be refined and tested. To date, the team has worked with small-scale glass coatings, but the next step is to verify that the coatings perform similarly on larger pieces of glass. The glass coating will then undergo more rigorous performance tests to ensure that it is durable enough to perform in harsh climates.

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

Photo Credit: Thomas Hawk, via Flickr.com

Photovoltaic glass can generate real power

/in , /by

Photovoltaic glass can generate real power

Photovoltaic glass can generate real power

Solar energy is moving to the forefront of the clean energy movement and photovoltaic glass may help bring the technology to more densely populated (and less sunny) areas. Until recently, the state of the solar energy industry was limited by the available collection technology. Solar energy was (and still is) most likely to be successful in areas that receive a lot of direct sunlight throughout the day.

Photovoltaic glass advances could change collectors

That tends to leave out regions like the Northeast, the Great Lakes and the Northwest, which are often under cloud cover. In these parts, solar energy is a passive, supplemental power source, and offers limited benefits.

One way to increase the amount of solar energy collected is to increase the size of the solar collector. In sparsely populated areas, large arrays can be constructed on the ground. This approach is not practical in urban areas, where the population is more densely concentrated.

Advances in the development of photovoltaic glass, however, are changing the established rules that governed where solar collectors are practical. In traditional solar collectors, the photovoltaic glass is dark, primarily to maximize the amount of non-visible light that gets collected. (It’s the non-visible light frequencies that are mostly responsible for heat generation.)

Unfortunately, to make the glass dark enough to harvest this type of solar radiation meant that the glass was too dark to transmit the visible light. This meant that the glass could not be used in windows and in other applications, where transparency is desirable.

New developments in photovoltaic glass include the development of glass that can absorb the invisible light spectrum and direct it toward the edges of the pane, where it can be converted to electricity. This material permits the transmission of visible light, so it can transform any window or glass surface into a solar energy collector. The material is currently about 20% transparent, which is still relatively dark. Further advances, however, could increase the transparency of this glass, and make photovoltaic glass practical for other applications.

In the meantime, another approach to reducing energy costs through glass is to block UV radiation from entering buildings. Glassprimer™ glass paint is specially formulated to bond permanently with glass. The paint is available in any color, and resists peeling, chipping and fading, even in direct sunlight. Reducing solar gain through selective obstruction can reduce energy costs year-round.

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: Pieter Edelman, via Flickr.com

Electrical current has implications for glass

/in , /by

Electrical current has implications for glass

Electrical current has implications for glass

Glass and electricity typically don’t mix. so much so that glass is often used as an insulator. New research into electricity and molten glass may change the way that glass is made. The surprising discovery, made in part by researchers at Lehigh University, shows that an electrical current applied to heated glass can cause the glass to melt at lower temperatures.

Glass can be precisely shaped at lower temperatures

By itself, this has implications for glass fabrication. By reducing the melting point of glass, less energy is required during the heating or reheating stage of glass production or glass recycling. Since glass is usually processed at extremely high temperatures, the notion of reducing energy is welcome.

Beyond reducing the melting temperature of glass, the researchers – working with another research team at the University of Marburg in Germany – discovered that heated glass can be precisely melted at specific points using direct electrical current. The discovery means that glass could be precisely shaped following molding and cooling.

The Marburg researchers had also been working with glass and electricity, and discovered that it was possible to leave an electrical charge on glass, which is normally electrically neutral. Charged glass potentially has some desirable optical and bioactive properties. The combined research team worked together to understand the exact mechanisms that describe their laboratory findings. The team’s findings will be published in the September 2016 issue of the Journal of Electrochemical Society.

With a more complete understanding of the mechanisms at work, the team can now focus on fine-tuning applications for their thermal and electric manipulations of glass in manufacturing.

In the meantime, if you’re looking for some decorative inspiration involving glass, please visit the rest of our site. Glassprimer™ glass paint is an exceptional, specially engineered paint product designed specifically for glass surfaces. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Lehigh University

Iconic Glass Structures – The Reichstag Dome

/in , /by

Iconic Glass Structures – The Reichstag Dome

Iconic Glass Structures – The Reichstag Dome

The Reichstag building in Berlin features the Reichstag Dome, an iconic glass addition to the building that houses the Bundestag, the German Parliament. The Reichstag building in Berlin was originally constructed in 1894 to address the need for a larger building to house the Parliament. The original building featured a large dome.

Reichstag Dome was rebuilt following reunification

The building was largely destroyed in 1933, the result of a suspicious fire that was blamed on Communist supporters. There was no actual evidence to suggest the true origin of the fire, or even that the fire was deliberate. Allied bombings of Berlin during World War II destroyed the remainder of the building. The Soviets partially rebuilt the building as a conference center in the 1960’s, during their occupation of the city. The dome, which had been an integral part of the original design, however, was not part of the reconstruction. Meanwhile, the western capital relocated to Bonn.

With the reunification of Germany, Berlin again became the country’s capital city. The Parliament decided to rebuild the Reichgstag dome, using the Soviet’s initial reconstruction as a starting point. The government sponsored a design contest to rebuild the dome over the Parliament building in 1993. Norman Foster, a British architect, won the contest and was commissioned to rebuild the Reichstag Dome.

Foster’s original design was rejected on the basis of cost, and eventually, he designed the glass dome, incorporating spiral staircases originally proposed by another architect. The design allows the public to ascend to top of the dome, and see down into the Parliamentary chambers. The design supports the broader idea that the government serves its people.

The glass in the dome relies on a series of mirrors to reflect sunlight into the dome without increasing the temperature in the building. A specially designed shade tracks the movement of the sun to block direct sunlight throughout the day. The dome actually increases the energy efficiency of the building.

When it was first introduced, the glass dome was controversial. The glass dome provides a 360° view of both the activities in the Bundestag, and the City of Berlin. The dome is open to the public from 8:00 AM to midnight daily and has become a very popular and inspirational tourist attraction.

If you’re looking for some 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: Reinhard Link , via Flickr.com

Transparent wood windows have energy benefits

/in , /by

Transparent wood windows have energy benefits

Transparent wood windows have energy benefits

Recently, scientists at the University of Maryland demonstrated transparent wood. The wood has been chemically treated and stripped of a colored compound called lignin, then filled with a transparent epoxy to give it strength. The epoxy-treated wood is about five times stronger than natural wood.

Transparent wood rejects heat

The researchers have been working with larger blocks of treated linden wood and have discovered that while the wood transmits only slightly less light than conventional glass, it offers surprisingly good UV resistance. The wood transmits significantly less heat than standard glass, meaning that it could offer superior energy efficiency.

The research team constructed a tiny house, using a transparent wood panel in the structure’s ceiling. The panel transmitted light evenly around the structure, but did not permit any significant buildup of heat, as would be expected with traditional glass. Because the transparent wood channels light in a different way, the distribution of light stays constant, even as the angle of the sun changes during the day. In addition to offering UV resistance, the transparent wood is not prone to shattering.

The transparency of the wood changes depending upon how the wood is cut. The researchers have focused their efforts on wood that has been cut against the grain, since it offers the best light control. Transparent wood has a slight haze to it, so it is not perfectly clear. The wood “glass” allows light transmission, but offers some privacy. The transparency of the glass could be modified by changing the angle of the cut, relative to the wood’s natural grain.

Controlling UV radiation is critical to improving energy efficiency and the overall comfort of an interior space. While there’s no way to know if or when transparent wood will be marketed, you can use other strategies to minimize solar heat gain through glass.

Glassprimer™ glass paint offers exceptional UV resistance, while delivering customized color that lasts. Guaranteed for 10 years when used on interior applications and applied according to manufacturer specifications, Glassprimer™ glass paint will not delaminate, chip or fade, even in direct sunlight and high humidity. That’s because Glassprimer™ glass paint makes a permanent bond with the surface of the glass – something that other paints don’t do.

If you’d like more information about working with 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: Penn State Environmental Inquiry, via Flickr.com