BLOG: sustainability

Is glass a sustainable medium? In what way can it contribute to making buildings more sustainable?

Glass itself is manufactured from easily sourced raw materials- essentially sand, soda ash and limestone. Glass brings daylight into buildings, reducing the need for electric lighting, and adding to human wellbeing.

Nowadays, glass is often treated to create 'Low E' glass which can reduce the thermal gain caused by sunlight. Glass artworks also offer ways to reduce the level of solar gain into an interior. Most often, this will be by adding a frit to the glass. This will reduce both solar gain and solar glare. For countries with high levels of solar gain – which due to climate change is now becoming most countries - can greatly benefit from the reduction of sunlight penetration achieved by a fritted façade, which can be used in conjunction with Low E glass.

Solar glare, which is also greatly reduced using frit, is mostly commonly experienced when the penetration of light makes it difficult for us to view our computer screens. A fritted glazing will mitigate this experience extremely well.

One wonders why this inexpensive addition to exterior glazing is not more commonly added. Herzon de Meuron have designed several buildings that have used a fritted façade as a way of improving the sustainability. In most of these cases the pattern covered every piece of glass in the building. Viel Arets, a globally celebrated Dutch architect, has used glass frit as a way of making buildings more sustainable: To quote:

"The fritted facade of the Utrecht Law Library is, of course, much more than just a technical solution for daylight and energy. But the technical implication of using a fritted facade is indeed the reduction of solar gain and glare. The open bookshelves needed to be protected against heavy daylight, and the students studying in the Library admire the resulting daylight conditions.

In many Projects we have used the technique of fritting glass to give expression and identity to a project, for example the Hoogvliet School Project and Valid office Tower. Here also this technique helps us to control the climate inside. In the Project Allianz headquarters in Zurich, we developed this technique further into a unique 'zero energy facade', using different layers of glass, a print and curtains."

 The Chinese are being more adventurous in these areas, as we can see in the attached images. This is the Ghizou Art Gallery, who façade and entranceway are entirely covered in the glass frit, reducing solar gain and solar glare and giving the building a unique, powerful and unforgettable brand.