1932

Abstract

Recent decades have seen growing and widespread adoption of glass as an architectural material that can be used not only as window panes but also as facades, walls, and roofs. This is despite glass traditionally being considered a brittle material, not readily capable of handling the high loads required of architectural materials. Architectural glass has enabled the vaulted, transparent structures of many modern airport terminals and eye-catching buildings, such as the ubiquitous all-glass Apple Stores found around the world. Glass has enabled architects to expand their visions of buildings, using light and space to create wonderful new designs. As described in this review, these dramatic new possibilities for how glass is used in architecture have been the result of a convergence of many developments, including a better understanding of the fracture of glass, new processes for strengthening glass, confidence in large-scale finite element modeling of gravitational and wind loads, advances in the lamination of glass sheets, and the availability of ever larger individual sheets of float glass. The concurrent evolution of standards for the use of glass in buildings has also played a role in advancing the use of architectural glass. Advances in the architectural use of glass have their roots in the traditional uses and physical understanding of the properties of glass that have developed over hundreds of years.

Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-matsci-101321-014417
2022-07-01
2024-03-29
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

/deliver/fulltext/matsci/52/1/annurev-matsci-101321-014417.html?itemId=/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-matsci-101321-014417&mimeType=html&fmt=ahah

Literature Cited

  1. 1.
    Bell M, Kim JK. 2009. Engineered Transparency: The Technical, Visual, and Spatial Effects of Glass New York: Princeton Archit. Press. , 1st ed..
  2. 2.
    Wigginton M. 2002. Glass in Architecture London: Phaidon Press
  3. 3.
    Wurm J. 2007. Glass Structures: Design and Construction of Self-Supporting Skins Basel, Switz: Birkhauser
  4. 4.
    Mairs J. 2016. World's tallest and longest glass bridge opens in China. Dezeen Aug. 25. https://www.dezeen.com/2016/08/25/zhangjiajie-grand-canyon-glass-bridge-haim-dotan-walkway-china/
    [Google Scholar]
  5. 5.
    Roberts S. 2013. The Wind Wizard Princeton, NJ: Princeton Univ. Press
  6. 6.
    N. Y. Archit. n.d. The Tower Building New York Architecture http://www.nyc-architecture.com/GON/GON008.htm
  7. 7.
    Verita M, Bracci S, Porcinai S. 2019. Analytical investigation of 14th century stained glass windows from Santa Croce Basilica in Florence. Int. J. Appl. Glass Sci. 10:546–57
    [Google Scholar]
  8. 8.
    Haldimann M, Luible A, Overend M. 2008. Structural Use of Glass Zurich, Switz.: Int. Assoc. Bridge Struct. Eng.
  9. 9.
    Ashby MF. 2017. Materials Selection in Mechanical Design Burlington, MA: Butterworth-Heinemann. , 5th ed..
  10. 10.
    Achilles A, Navratil D. 2017. Basics Glass Construction Basel, Switz: Birkhauser
  11. 11.
    LaBelle HE. 1971. Growth of controlled profile crystals from the melt: part II. Edge-defined film fed growth. Mater. Res. Bull. 6:581–90
    [Google Scholar]
  12. 12.
    Ciszek TF. 1972. Edge defined film fed growth of silicon ribbons. Mater. Res. Bull. 7:731–38
    [Google Scholar]
  13. 13.
    Pilkington LAB. 1969. The float glass process. Proc. R. Soc. A 314:15161–25
    [Google Scholar]
  14. 14.
    Hynd WC. 1984. Flat glass manufacturing processes. Glass Science and Technology, Vol. 2 DR Uhlmann, NJ Kreidel 45–106 New York: Academic
    [Google Scholar]
  15. 15.
    Francis LF. 2016. Materials Processing London: Academic
  16. 16.
    Griffith AA. 1920. The phenomena of rupture and flow in solids. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A 221:163–98
    [Google Scholar]
  17. 17.
    Irwin GR. 1958. Fracture. Handbuch der Physik, Vol. 6 S Flügge 591–613 Berlin: Springer-Verlag
    [Google Scholar]
  18. 18.
    Lamela MJ, Ramos A, Fernandez P, Fernandez-Canteli A, Przybilla C et al. 2014. Probabilistic characterization of glass under different types of testing. Procedia Mater. Sci. 3:2111–16
    [Google Scholar]
  19. 19.
    Johnson KL. 1987. Contact Mechanics Cambridge, UK: Cambridge Univ. Press
  20. 20.
    Frank FC, Lawn BR. 1967. On the theory of Hertzian fracture. Proc. R. Soc. A 299:291–306
    [Google Scholar]
  21. 21.
    Tolanksy S, Howes VR. 1954. Optical studies of ring cracks. Proc. Phys. Soc. B 67:46–72
    [Google Scholar]
  22. 22.
    Cook RF, Pharr GM. 1990. Direct observation and analysis of indentation cracking in glasses and ceramics. J. Am. Ceram. Soc. 73:787–817
    [Google Scholar]
  23. 23.
    Roesler FC. 1956. Brittle fractures near equilibrium. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B 69:981–92
    [Google Scholar]
  24. 24.
    Aben H, Anton J, Errapart A, Hodemann S, Kikas J et al. 2010. On non-destructive residual stress measurement in glass panels. Estonian J. Eng. 16:150–56
    [Google Scholar]
  25. 25.
    Seshadri M, Bennison SJ, Jagota A, Saigal S. 2002. Mechanical response of cracked laminated glass. Acta Mater 50:4477–90
    [Google Scholar]
  26. 26.
    Fourton P. 2019. Adhesion rupture in laminated glass: effect of the interface and rheology of the polymer PhD Diss., Université Paris Paris:
  27. 27.
    Muralidhar S, Jagota A, Bennison SJ, Saigal S. 2000. Mechanical behavior in tension of cracked glass bridged by an elastomer ligament. Acta Mater 48:4577–88
    [Google Scholar]
  28. 28.
    Fourton P, Piroird K, Ciccotti M, Barthel E 2020. Adhesion rupture in laminated glass: influence of adhesion on the energy dissipation mechanisms. Glass Struct. Eng. 5:3397–410
    [Google Scholar]
  29. 29.
    Tupy M, Merinska D, Svoboda P, Kalendova A, Klasek A, Zvonicek J. 2010. Effect of water and acid-base reactant on adhesive properties of various plasticized polyvinyl butyral sheets. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 127:3474–84
    [Google Scholar]
  30. 30.
    PPG Ind 2019. Aerospace transparencies. PPG Industries https://www.ppgaerospace.com/Products/Transparencies.aspx
    [Google Scholar]
  31. 31.
    Hooper PA, Sukhram RAM, Blackman BRK, Dear JP. 2012. On the blast resistance of laminated glass. Intern. J. Solids Struct. 49:899–918
    [Google Scholar]
  32. 32.
    Vetrotech 2021. Blast resistant glass. Vetrotech https://www.vetrotech.com/en-us/blast-resistant-glass
    [Google Scholar]
  33. 33.
    Ballantyne ER. 1961. Fracture of Toughened Glass Wall Cladding Melbourne, Aust: CSIRO
  34. 34.
    Swain MV. 1981. Nickel sulphide inclusions in glass: an example of microcracking induced by a volumetric expanding phase change. J. Mater. Sci. 16:1151–58
    [Google Scholar]
  35. 35.
    Karlsson S. 2017. Spontaneous fracture in thermally strengthened glass – a review and outlook. Ceram. Silik. 61:188–201
    [Google Scholar]
  36. 36.
    Kasper A. 2019. Spontaneous cracking of thermally toughened safety glass. Part one: properties of nickel sulphide inclusions. Glass Struct. Eng. 4:279–313
    [Google Scholar]
  37. 37.
    Fitechnic 2017. Spider glazing. Fitechnic https://fitechnic.co.uk/spider-glazing.html
    [Google Scholar]
  38. 38.
    Int. Energy Agency 2011. Technology roadmap—energy-efficient buildings: heating and cooling equipment Rep., Int. Energy Agency Paris: https://www.iea.org/reports/technology-roadmap-energy-efficient-buildings-heating-and-cooling-equipment
  39. 39.
    Arbab M, Finley JJ. 2010. Glass in architecture. Int. J. Appl. Glass Sci. 1:1118–29
    [Google Scholar]
  40. 40.
    McCluney RM. 1996. Fenestration solar gain analysis Rep. FSEC-GP-65 Fla. Sol. Energy Cent. Cocoa, FL:
  41. 41.
    Bennett JM, Ashley EJ. 1965. Infrared reflectance and emittance of silver and gold evaporated in ultrahigh vacuum. Appl. Opt. 4:2221–24
    [Google Scholar]
  42. 42.
    Yoshioka T. 2017. Functional laminated glazing of passenger vehicle by advanced PVB technology - multi-layer technology for noise reduction and more. Sekisui Chemical Company http://www.s-lec.cn/product/architect/saf/paper/index.html
    [Google Scholar]
  43. 43.
    Rasmussen SC. 2012. How Glass Changed the World Heidelberg, Ger: Springer
  44. 44.
    Vogel W. 1994. Glass Chemistry Berlin: Springer-Verlag
  45. 45.
    Pilkington 2021. Coated and tinted glass. Nippon Sheet Glass Company https://www.pilkington.com/en/us/architects-page/glass-information/coated-and-tinted-glass
    [Google Scholar]
  46. 46.
    Grinley DS, Bright C. 2011. Transparent conducting oxides. MRS Bull 25:815–18
    [Google Scholar]
  47. 47.
    Gratzel M. 2003. Dye-sensitized solar cells. J. Photochem. Photobiol. C Photochem. Rev. 4:145–53
    [Google Scholar]
  48. 48.
    Hagfeldt A, Boschloo G, Sun L, Kloo L, Pettersson H. 2010. Dye-sensitized solar cells. Chem. Rev. 110:6595–663
    [Google Scholar]
  49. 49.
    Granqvist CG. 2012. Oxide electrochromics: an introduction to devices and materials. Sol. Energy Mater. Sol. Cells 99:1–13
    [Google Scholar]
  50. 50.
    Shian S, Clarke DR. 2016. Electrically tunable window devices. Opt. Lett. 41:61289–92
    [Google Scholar]
  51. 51.
    Mortimer RJ. 2011. Electrochromic materials. Annu. Rev. Mater. Res. 41:241–68
    [Google Scholar]
  52. 52.
    Yang CH, Zhou S, Shian S, Clarke DR, Suo Z. 2017. Organic liquid-crystal devices based on ionic conductors. Mater. Horiz. 4:1102–9
    [Google Scholar]
  53. 53.
    Ashby MF. 2016. Materials and Sustainable Development Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann
  54. 54.
    Butts DM, McNeil PE, Marszewski M, Lan E, Galy Tet al 2020. Engineering mesoporous silica for superior optical and thermal properties. MRS Energy Sustain 7:39
    [Google Scholar]
  55. 55.
    Li Y, Fu Q, Yu S, Yan M, Berglund L 2016. Optically transparent wood from a nanoporous cellulosic template: combining functional and structural performance. Biomacromolecules 17:1358–64
    [Google Scholar]
  56. 56.
    Mi R, Li T, Dalgo D, Chen C, Kuang Y et al. 2020. A clear, strong and thermally insulated transparent wood for energy efficient windows. Adv. Funct. Mater. 30:1907511 Erratum. 2020. Adv. Funct. Mater. 30:2001291
    [Google Scholar]
/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-matsci-101321-014417
Loading
/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-matsci-101321-014417
Loading

Data & Media loading...

  • Article Type: Review Article
This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a Success
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error