Steel Building Glass Wall
ith steel buildings dotting the urban skyline, concrete does not support a vast range of functions. Worse still, concrete adds to the weight, does not provide space for creativity and, in one sense, is ugly. In vertical development, weight of the building also aesthetics play a significant role...
There are several other reasons as well:
One, being a lighter building material, glass reduces total building weight. The density of a brick wall can be up to 2000 kg/m3 while glass’ density is only around 2.51 g/cm3. In a typical high-rise building of 70 storeys with 90,000 m2 of glass area, the estimated weight reduction by using glass is 36,900 tonnes! That’s not a small number.
Two, glass has lower envelope thickness that saves up to 8 per cent of the construction area and, in turn, increases usable carpet area. This increase in carpet area makes glass exciting for residential buildings as well.
Three, glass is easy to install. In a day, about 150 m2 of glass façade can be built while only 70 m2 of brick wall can be constructed.
Glass can be fabricated in three types - Semi-Unitised system, Unitised System and Frameless Façade - based on needs. With its wide style and colours and also customisable properties, glass stimulates the architect’s ‘Imagineering’ and is the first choice construction material for urban high-rise buildings.
With its ease of maintenance, glass can withstand time, temperature and weather. In cold western countries, thermal insulated glass helps maintain heat within the rooms; to beat the heat in the hot eastern world, solar control glasses allow only light and not heat. A single material that could be customised for contrasting uses!
Fire prevention and protection are vital for high rises. Glass as a fire-resistant wall, can withstand fire for about 120 minutes.
Glass can be toughened to make room partitions, strengthened and tested for seismic pressures and also provide for excellent acoustics.