Glass News For the Discerning Window Cleaner

Glass roof falls, buries parking lot: One person is trapped after a glass canopy on top of an apartment building garage in New Jersey caved in, causing the entire structure to collapse.
Rescuers were able to see the victim inside their car using special camera equipment but have not been able to reach them amid fears of another collapse. There are reports up to three people have also been buried with witnesses describing the moment the garage collapsed as "like an earthquake". The latest collapse happened around 2:30 p.m. Saturday while crews were removing rubble, glass and other debris from the Hackensack site. It came one day after the three-story garage had pancaked when a glass canopy attached to a nearby high-rise condominium building fell on it. Officials initially feared that at least one person was trapped in the wreckage and began intensive rescue efforts. But the 22-hour rescue mission was called off Saturday morning after it was determined that no one had been trapped. Crews were briefly removed from the site after Saturday's collapse, but were expected to return to work later in the day.

NanaWall Systems, the leader in large opening glass walls, announces the launch of its hurricane system for mid-rise buildings: The NanaWall® SL73 Miami Dade/AAMA Hurricane Folding System. The NanaWall SL73 offers the beauty of a large opening NanaWall combined with hurricane protection for buildings up to 8 to 10 stories. With its higher performance ratings, the same NanaWall features and benefits available for low rises in hurricane areas are now available for mid rises in hurricane areas: The NanaWall SL73 has the following additional features and benefits: Design Flexibility From mid rise multi family or office buildings to single family residences, restaurants, spas and resorts, reception halls and recreation facilities, the SL73 is ideal for creating large opening walls for coastal communities.

Man builds glass house: If you thought you could build a house using only brick and mortar, then this one will definitely blow your mind. Felix Gora (55) of Cranborne Harare, is currently building an enormous house entirely from glass. His innovation has set tongues wagging, with people saying he should not even think of throwing stones. Gora has transformed his seven-roomed house into a majestic work of glass art covering all the house’s interior and exterior walls. He attributes this craftsmanship to his desire for bringing to life the reality of “glass communication”. “There are so many glasses in here, but they are not just meaningless and plain,” says Gora. “Every piece of glass here serves a purpose and is structured well for that purpose.” “My house is an expression of purposeful work with a meaning and a message.” Even his bed is surrounded by glass – a scenario that would make an ordinary person get goose pimples.
All his wardrobes and other pieces of furniture in the three bedrooms are made of glass, including wooden surfaces that have glass glued to them. It is almost impossible for strangers visiting Gora’s house to move without bumping into some glass. In fact, one cannot tell whether they are coming or going because of the optical illusion created by the glass surfaces. Glass surrounds a bar in the house and a small upper room is entirely made of glass. The same can be said of the kitchen where impressive glass images are evident. And Gora has abandoned traditional curtains for glass. “It is not ordinary glass, but it is structural glass that was put here to capture a meaning,” he said. Gora described the glass as solar-shield glass which he said was very expensive. “This place is an expression of everything l do. This type of glass is called solar-shield or Venetia glass, one of the most expensive that enables one to see from inside, but when you are outside you see nothing,” he said indicating that he did not need curtains as the glass would serve the same purpose.
Gora said he was not yet through with construction and would continue until his dream was realised. “We want to put life to it. It is still very well much under construction,” said the soft spoken former Churchill High School metalwork teacher. He said his house was once used as a home to Danger, a character in the popular Studio 263 soap. Even popular musician Andy Brown used to rehearse there. But Gora’s “House of Glass” is yet to find a woman of the house. He said he was still hunting for Miss Right. “I am not yet married but l would love to be,” he said jokingly.

Rowan Atkinson's dream home is a nightmare; Oh no, not Rowan Atkinson, too. I’d have thought a clever man – and a comic genius – would know better. Pictured are his plans to replace his 1930s house in Oxfordshire with a steel and glass monstrosity designed by Richard Meier, the famous American designer of steel and glass monstrosities.
I lived opposite a Meier building in New York. It had wonderful views over the Hudson River, but that was only to be expected in a building that was almost entirely glass, connected by thin struts of steel. Not only was it hideous, it was also utterly see-through – kind of difficult for the zillionaires inside to preserve their modesty; and hell to heat in winter and keep cool in the summer.
Architecture is the most public of all the arts. You may not like Damien Hirst or Tracey Emin but at least the zillionaires who buy their pictures keep them inside their houses, and no one has to see them. Hideous architecture is inflicted on any passer-by whether he likes it or not.
Atkinson’s 30s house isn’t that pretty, I admit. But at least it fits perfectly well into the Oxfordshire landscape, with a pretty enough loggia and hipped roof; the Meier building, understandably objected to by the local parish council and conservation body, is like a space ship that has been airlifted in from Planet Ugly.

Top Secret Innovations at the Bystronic glass Stand: Innovative and flying high at glasstec 2010 - The Bystronic glass Group will be presenting numerous innovations at the glasstec trade fair that is taking place in Düsseldorf from 28 September to 1 October 2010. Richard Jakob, CEO of the Bystronic glass Group revealed: “ In addition to numerous new and more sophisticated machines, we will also be presenting our customers with some exclusive innovations in our Top Secret area“. This closed area will only be accessible to invited or registered guests when accompanied by the Bystronic glass sales staff. On its stand which covers an area of 1,200 square metres, Bystronic glass will be presenting system solutions for glass processing in the areas of building and automotive glass, not forgetting the solar industry. Moderated live machine presentations will enable visitors to gain an insight into the fascinating technologies.

Emirates Float Glass (EFG), a subsidiary of Glass LLC which is wholly owned by Dubai Investments PJSC, has announced that it has received the CE Mark certification – the regulatory approval to market a product in the European Economic Area (EEA) - for its range of clear, bronze and grey float glass products. Emirates Float Glass is the first glass manufacturer in the Middle East to receive CE Mark certification for its products.
Ghassan Mashal, General Manager of Emirates Float Glass, received the certification on behalf of the company from Nigel Rees, CEO of the Glass and Glazing Federation (GGF), the UK-based global trade association representing the glass industry, at a ceremony held in Dubai recently. “This is an important milestone in EFG’s pursuit in becoming a truly world-class company,” Ghassan Mashal said. “The certification allows us to affix the CE Mark – which denotes conformity to the highest standards of quality and safety – on our products and will enable us to market our range of float glass in countries throughout the European Economic Area.”
“Since its inception in 2009, EFG has striven to maintain consistently high standards of quality across its product range. Our products are currently exported to more than 35 countries around the world, and the CE Mark approval will allow us to make new inroads into high-potential European markets and further extend our global reach,” Mashal added. EFG already exports products to several European countries including Spain, Italy, Ukraine, and the Netherlands.
EFG’s range of clear, bronze and grey float glass were certified by TNO, Netherlands - a leading independent provider of quality assurance and evaluation services - under European Standards EN 410 and EN 572 –Part 1.
The CE Mark is a mandatory conformity mark on products placed on the single market in the European Economic Area. The CE Mark certifies that a product has met EU consumer safety, health or environmental requirements. EFG is the largest integrated glass processing facility in the UAE with a capacity of 190,000 tons per annum under phase 1 of the project. The plant was built with technological assistance from US-based PPG Industries, the global leaders in glass manufacturing technology. EFG’s Board of Directors is currently reviewing its strategic plans to speed up expansion under phase 2, which will significantly increase the company’s production capacity.


Can an All-Glass Office Building Really Be Considered Green? For decades, modern office buildings have been pretty much covered in glass curtain walls. Some are high performance and very expensive, like the super-green LEED Platinum Bank of America Building at 1 Bryant Park in New York, or they can be the standard crappy suburban office building thrown up across North America, looking the same in California or Calgary. But as Steve Mouzon points out, even the very best glazing has an R-value that is equivalent to a 2x4 wall with fiberglass insulation, something that nobody has built for years. Most office buildings don't even approach a third of that. So why do architects design buildings this way?
Alex Wilson at Environmental Building News looks at the issue in Rethinking the All-Glass Building (subscription only). He writes: Some of the world's most prominent "green" skyscrapers, including New York City's One Bryant Park (the LEED Platinum Bank of America skyscraper) and the New York Times Tower, wear the mantle of green with transparent façades. But there is a high environmental cost to all that glitter: increased energy consumption. Until new glazing technologies make technical solutions more affordable, many experts suggest that we should collectively end our infatuation with heavily glazed, all-glass buildings. Alex summarizes some of the reasons that glass buildings are so popular, some of which I think are questionable, bordering on ludicrous.
But you can have too much of a good thing, and in most buildings the glass is tinted or mirrored to reduce the amount of daylight. At One Bryant Place, the glass is covered with a ceramic frit (pictured) to reduce the daylight penetration; in the New York Times Building, it is covered with ceramic rods to reduce the amount of light. Any light below desktop height is pretty much wasted. So claiming that floor to ceiling glazing increases the amount of daylight is a bit specious, you can't possibly use that much of it. Ultimately, as Steve Mouzon notes, you don't need more than a third of the wall to be glazed to get all the light you could use. Other architects might counter that you get a better connection to outdoors if you frame a view like a picture. Or that this only applies to the lucky employee sitting right next to the window; for everyone else that glass below the desk height is meaningless.
Really. So "transparent" gets picked up as corporate jargon and suddenly we are designing buildings around it? And with the tints and the blinds and the mirroring, can anyone actually see in? I think the reasons are simpler: laziness. In most cases, the architect is no longer really designing the exterior of a building, worrying about proportion and detailing and materiality, he or she is simply outsourcing the design to a curtainwall supplier. It looks really good on a rendering, and makes it easier to get approvals; the simple, reflective skin disappears against the sky. It is easier to administer; one trade is providing the entire skin of the building. It's thinner; the client gets more rentable square feet. So what if it is an energy hog, the tenant pays for that, not the owner.
In general, heavily glazed buildings consume more energy than buildings with more moderate levels of glass. With a higher glazing fraction, solar heat gain as well as heat loss in cold weather are both greater. Glass does introduce daylighting, of course, and well-executed daylighting can reduce both electric lighting and mechanical cooling costs but the ideal percentage of glazing is far below that of many of today's prominent all-glass buildings. Alex concludes by saying that "a growing body of experts in sustainable design argues that our architectural aesthetic should evolve away from all-glass façades." But it will take a new breed of architects, who know something about commodity, firmness and delight as well as the difference between a north and a south facade.
After I wrote favourably about the New York Times building two years ago, with its floor to ceiling glass, Green Architect disagreed with my admiration of the ceramic tube sun shading, with a comment that I will repeat here in full; his comment seems more appropriate than ever, and my response now seems particularly stupid. You've fallen for the "Hybrid-SUV" trap, Mr Alter. The ceramic sun shade isn't solving an unavoidable environmental problem. It is mitigating the problem caused by the overuse of glass. Like the SUV, "transparent" buildings have become a cultural icon. In both instances there are techniques that can lessen their environmental impact, but clear-minded individuals ought not be lulled away from questioning the necessity of the underlying practice. Every "benefit" of the sun shade (reduced solar gain, internal reflectance, ect.) could be achieved much more effectively by properly proportioned glazing and a light-shelf, and use materials representing drastically less embodied energy. A poorly designed building that employs mitigating features is not "green". As a green architect, I expected better out of a Treehugger contributor.
LA: Your point is well taken. Here I took the Times at their word that they thought about it: "The New York Times selected a design that codified its philosophy of a "transparent" organization and one dedicated to creating a high quality work environment for their employees. The exterior of the building was proposed as a transparent floor-to-ceiling, all-glass façade that encouraged openness and communication with the external world. For a corporation whose daily business is gathering and disseminating news, facile communication between departments was encouraged by a number of the design features selected."

Platinum group metals (PGMs) have been used for many years in the glass industry. But, now the use of PGMs in glass industry has gone up. According to reports appearing in global media, due to an increase in use of glass in all areas, the use of PGMs in glass making has also gone up.
This will result in a rise in demand for PGMs. According to reports, glass industry will more platinum group metals in the coming years and this may cause a rise in prices of the metals. Due to their high melting points and superior resistance to corrosion, PGMs are invaluable for protecting manufacturing equipment from attack by molten glass and corrosive vapours. Although the initial cost of PGMs may be high, they are fully recyclable and, depending on the product, 95% to 98% of the metal can usually be recovered and converted into revenue once the useful life of the component is over. This has helped people use the metal in the industry.

Baghdad Nights Glitter, Behind Shatterproof Glass: However loudly you protest, you still have to check your gun at the restaurant’s door. (Customers take valet tickets in return.) Guards in tight jeans and tighter shirts patrol the entrance, toting that ubiquitous paraphernalia of authority here: a walkie-talkie. Even cavalier guests cast leery glances down the road for a car that could be rigged with a bomb.
Antoine al-Hage, capitalism’s equivalent of a soldier of fortune, smiles at it all — the danger, the risk and, of course, the payoff of bringing nightlife to “Where there’s war,” he said, “there’s lots of money.” A slew of new restaurants have opened in the capital this year, from Tomorrow and Tool al-Lail to Toast and City Chief, offering a respite for a city spectacularly bereft of night-time destinations. All have evolved to the conditions of contemporary Baghdad, a city that teases with hints of the ordinary but remains a barricaded warren of blast walls and barbed wire. Namely, nearly all boast of having thick shatterproof glass.
Red, golds and browns accent the chrome, leather, glass and faux alligator skin on the columns. The marble came from Lebanon, the parquet from Dubai and the furniture from Indonesia. A big-screen television is fastened to two-story windows that open to a triple-decked patio. There, patrons gaze on a view of the Tigris that was once the preserve of the palaces for Saddam Hussein’s wife and brother-in-law.

A*STAR Showcases Innovative Solutions for Tackling Urban Living Challenges at World Cities Summit 2010: industry attention as they are effective and environmental-friendly. A*STAR's Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTech) has successfully built a pilot production plant to produce a TiO2 photocatalytic solution, and commercialised the technology. Sunlight, in particular the ultra violet component, activates the titanium dioxide to trigger the self-cleaning process.
Two unique properties of TiO2 enable this: its high oxidation power breaks down dirt and unwanted material, while its super-hydrophilicity repels water to drain off rain and with it the oxidized material, from coated surfaces. This technology allows a dramatic reduction in building maintenance costs and resources. The TiO2 coating lasts for up to three years, and surfaces can be recoated when it wears off. This technology is highly suitable for countries like Singapore with year-round sunshine and high precipitation to facilitate such a cleaning process.
Exterior surfaces which can benefit from this are painted areas, tiles, glass windows and panels, and other glass surfaces that are exposed to sunlight. E. Efficient Conversion of Industrial Organic byproducts into Biogas The lignocellulose-based bioethanol and FAME (fatty acid methyl esters) biodiesel industries generate a large amount of byproducts such as xylose, arabinose and glycerol.
Converting these cheap and renewable carbon sources into value-added fuel such as biogas (methane and CO2), creates great commercial value: cheaper and greener waste management is encouraged, and supplants the need to bury them in landfills, which are highly costly spaces. Biogas, which is a low-cost biofuel, can be used directly to produce thermal energy, or it can be used to power a gas or diesel engine to run a generator to produce electricity.