A Comprehensive Look At Glass As A Building Material
From its humble beginnings to now being used as a sophisticated structural building material in modern architecture, glass has come a long way. Although architects all over the world have leveraged the use of exquisite building materials to create statement buildings, nothing has matched the elegance and versatility of glass.
According to a few insights collected from decorative glass companies, here is a comprehensive look at glass as a building material and it’s engineering properties that make it popular in the field of architecture.
Transparency
The transparent property of glass that allows natural light to pass through, so the objects behind the glass are visible clearly is a primary reason why glass is high in demand as a building material. This distinctive property reserved only for glass provides more versatility for architects and interior designers alike to easily bring out a contemporary or traditional architectural style as needed.
In addition, the transparency allows indoor spaces to connect to the outside with an uninterrupted light flow, even if windows and doors are closed. Transparency also easily lets glasses brighten up and enhance the beauty of spaces when installed using suitable interior design principles.
Easily Moldable
Moulding is a fundamental unit based on which the basic form of architecture is built. Almost all stages of construction and building involve moulding. They are important to provide finely-scaled details, connection, strength, and visual interest to structures. Although glass is a hard material, it is easily moldable into desired shapes through the application of heat into the sand. It can be blown, drawn and pressed to any shape to meet engineering demands.
Double curved glass staircases are one of the best examples to reflect the mould-friendly engineering properties of this material and how widely they are used to create statement interiors in both residential and commercial properties.
Colour Availability
Another significant property that glass inherits to stand out as a superior building material is its wide colour availability, which easily meets the demands of the complex interior designs of modern times. Aside from the colours, the lighting effects these coloured glasses can reflect depending on their types can also exceptionally bring out unique and innovative architectural personalities. Coloured glasses can also be interlayered, tinted, and combined with printed glasses to produce different aesthetic results.
Aesthetically Appealing
“Functionality and Aesthetics” are the two core principles of 21st-century architecture. There is no doubt that glass is aesthetically appealing, but the integration of cutting-edge technology has enabled it to elevate its functional properties further, making it ideal as a modern-day building material.
Nowadays glasses can be easily used to create both minimal or sophisticated structures and details for any building concept. They can add just the right touch of classical, vintage or modern vibe to properties when designed professionally with complementing interior accents.
Weather and Rust Resistant
Unlike most materials, glass is corrosion and weather-resistant, and according to glass manufacturers, they are only chemically attacked under rare circumstances. Weather and rust resistance are two key requirements of good building material.
Glass can withstand the effects of wind, rain, sun and any other harsh weather while retaining its appearance and integrity in most given conditions. Moreover, since it doesn’t rust, degradation due to environmental factors is also highly unlikely. The longevity assured with this building material, along with its less maintenance requirements, also makes glass cost-effective for property constructions.