AESTHETICS OF GLASS

ARCHITECTIURE
 AESTHETICS IN GLASS ARCHITECTURE
For the last thousand years glass has been the surface through which
light, but not rain or wind, has entered buildings, revealing the
internal spatial art of architecture, and allowing the outside to be seen
from within, and vice versa. Nevertheless, Glass, if used without
aesthetic understanding, can destroy space and architecture.
Glass as architecture, or glass architecture, began its legitimacy during
the Gothic period, when use of the sun and skylight to illuminate
storytelling in stained glass gave glass its apotheosis (the apse of
Aachen Cathedral is an exquisite example and has such thin stone
mullions).
Glass architecture’s first apogee occurred with the construction of
ever larger greenhouses during the mid-19th century when skilled
craftsmen and engineers used the tensile qualities of wrought iron
and the compressive qualities of cast iron with glass and produced a
`wall-less’ and dramatic alternative to traditional masonry wall
construction.
 AESTHETICS IN GLASS ARCHITECTURE
Bannister Fletcher’s book on A History of Architecture1
 eventually listed the Crystal Palace in its 1961 edition,
suggesting that it took historians more than a hundred years to
accept Paxton’s Crystal Palace and similar works throughout
Europe as architecture

Glass architecture’s second apogee has occurred as a result

of the structural use of glass, which began in the latter half
of the twentieth century.
Aesthetic meanings and their applied values have been
largely philosophically determined rather than empirically,
and there is in every era a prevailing visual aesthetic that
finds expression in architecture.
In the contemporary discourse about architecture a lot of
attention is dedicated to the aesthetics that expresses the
idea of sustainability. Architects are trying to find the
answer to the question:” How may sustainability provide a
form of aesthetic thinking about architecture?” The
principles of a sustainable design are rooted in the
relationship between the building and the site with its
environmental conditions, such as topography, vegetation
and climate. “In regard to the relationship among form,
function and context, a built form should inform and express
the principles of its programmatic, structural, material and
spatial qualities. And an aesthetic is supposed to emerge
from, as well as be embodied in, the order that ties them
together as an indivisible whole.”
 GLASS IN ARCHITECTURE
Glass in architecture can be used to embody and express
ideas about our union with nature, our attitudes towards
society, and our notions of lightness and transparency.

Achieving the quality of lightness is a reductive exercise

– of the problem, of the concept, of the design, of the
structure, and of the materials.
Superfluousness is anathema to lightness.
Lightness tends towards minimalism, not necessarily
transparency. Transparency is about feeling, of openness,
or of emptiness.
The association of openness and emptiness conjures up
images of great spaces and landscapes.
 Visual Aesthetic
Glass in architecture is appreciated more for its aesthetic value,
particularly its transparency, than as a dielectric material or an
information highway, although environmental concerns are
shifting the visual aesthetic to energy issues. Only in recent
decades have we seen this demand, and consequently, industry
has responded by producing new glass types which can be
exploited in architecture as truly dielectric materials.
For today's architecture, following current aesthetic
trends the solution can be found in the poetic aspect
of architecture: “Because architecture, like all of the
arts, has the capacity to reveal its world, architecture
with its poetic capability may yet be able to reveal
and respond to how unsustainable the
commodification process has become.” If architects
use space, surface and light in an intelligent way, they
will be able to reach more than just the goals of
efficiency and economy, but they will create the
architecture that is sensual and lasting.
Glass is not only a highly functional and versatile building
material, it can have various aesthetic properties to enhance
the architectural designs of homes as well as commercial
spaces .

 Glass has aesthetic properties, to meet a variety of design

requirements, as well as glare reduction and solar control
demands. With striking visual aesthetics, tinted and reflective
glass is widely specified for a variety of commercial glazing
applications. Both products achieve improved solar performance
values compared to clear glass, resulting in greater efficiency.
 Broad categories of aesthetic glass options
Tinted Glass
Tinted and reflective glass types are designed to compliment
building facades and improve solar performance.
It is produced by adding metal oxides to float glass during
manufacture.
Tinted glass absorbs and re-radiates solar energy reducing heat
and it can provide cost effective climate control. It also reduces sun
glare and is aesthetically appealing.
Tinted glass is available most commonly in Grey and Bronze.
Tinted laminates reduce damaging short-wave ultraviolet
radiation. The lighter tints eliminate some solar energy and are
intended for use in glazing areas where safety , glare control and
aesthetic qualities are required.
The deeper tints improve glare control and provide a higher
degree of solar heat elimination
Reflective Glass
Reflective glass provides a bold, crisp exterior appearance, along with
a dynamic building surface that changes to reflect the surroundings. It
offers greater solar control than standard tinted float glass and can be
used to create a specific visual appearance in a building. A metallic
coating is applied during the manufacturing process and creates a
highly reflective appearance. Reflective Glass is typically available in
Clear, Neutral, Grey, Bronze, and Blue colours.
Coloured Glass
Coloured glass makes it possible to create highly original building
facades, partitions and interior spaces. It is most often used for
enhanced architectural aesthetics. Made by laminating coloured inter
layers in the glass, you achieve multiple colours of varying intensity
and solar control properties to suit your vision.
The coloured glass inter layers are stable in both heat and light, so can
be used in internal and external applications without colour distortion.
When used with our solar control glass, the glass can be used to
reduce solar heat gain and for the reduction of glare.
Tinted Glass Reduces heat and UV rays and slows down fading in
furniture and carpets
Extensive range of tints available
Tinted inter-layers can be used individually or in various
combinations to create colourful and distinctive glass facades,
partitions and interiors.
Anti-glare properties
Solar Control properties
Wide range of colours available
Colour matching is possible with the Vanceva® range
Can be applied to most types of performance glass
Reflective Glass eg: S10 / Solarshield Range
Coloured Laminated Safety Glass 
Folding Doors
Open up your living spaces and bring the outdoors in!
Sun Louvres
Effective sun control with modern
aesthetic appeal
Glass Partitioning
Framed and frameless glass office partitioning
 CONCLUSION
Different buildings have differing needs with respect to aesthetics,
performance and function. Few building materials can have as
great an impact on all three of these areas as glass.

The aesthetics, performance – and the function – of glass are

intrinsically linked; one cannot be considered without the others.
Many aesthetic qualities of glass products can be provided with
multiple performance features – and vice versa. Choose the right
glass and architects can benefit from the best possible
performance combined with the most appealing look.

In the last few decades, the glazing industry has been involved in a
performance race, but with performance improvement increments
becoming smaller and smaller as glass technologies mature. Often
these minor performance improvements come at a cost – of
decreasing the aesthetic appeal of glass.
BURJ KHALIFA- THE TALLEST BUILDING IN THE WORLD