GLASS AS A

BUILDING MATERIAL
 Glass has become one of the most popular and
complex building materials used today by
offering virtually unlimited aesthetic options,
combined with outstanding performance.
PROPERTIES OF GLASS
The properties of glass are mainly governed by factors
such as composition of the constituents, state of
surface, thermal treatment conditions, dimensions of
specimen, etc.
The following are the properties of glass which have
made
glass popular and useful.
(1) It absorbs, refracts or transmits light.
(2) It can take up a high polish and may be used as substitute
for every costly gems.
(3) It has no definite crystalline structure.
(4) It has no sharp melting point.
(5) It is affected by alkalis.
6) It is an excellent electrical insulator at elevated temperatures
due to the fact that glass can be considered as an ionic liquid.
(8) It behaves more as a solid than most solids in the sense that
it is elastic. But when the elastic limit is exceeded, it fractures
instead of deforming.
(9) It is capable of being worked on in many ways.
(10) It is extremely brittle.
(11) It is not usually affected by air or water.
(12) It is not easily attacked by ordinary chemical reagents.
(13) It is possible to intentionally alter some of its properties
such as fusibility, hardness, refractive power, etc. to suit
different purposes.
(14) It is possible to obtain glass with diversified properties. The
glasses may be clear, colorless, diffused,colored and stained.
(15) It is possible to weld pieces of glass by fusion.
(16) It is transparent and translucent
 TYPES OF GLASS

 A few examples of glass include:

 Annealed Glass; this is the most common
architectural glass
 Prism glass; it is glass used to provide lighting to
underground spaces and areas that would
otherwise be too difficult to light.
 Glass block; also known as Glass brick is used in
areas where privacy or visual obscuration is
desirable while admitting light such as;
underground
 Frosted glass; it is glass which has been rendered
opaque through a process which roughens or
obscures the clear surface of the glass. It is
produced by the sandblasting or acid etching of
clear sheet glass.
 Stained glass; this is glass that is coloured as a
material. As a material, it is coloured by adding
metallic salts during its manufacture
USES OF GLASS IN CONSTRUCTION
Glass is one of the construction materials used
in buildings and below are the various uses:
Glass panes in windows
Curtain walling
Partitioning
Balcony railing
Roof Construction
Doors
Used in bathrooms
 Frosted glass is used on bathroom windows to
allow light but not visibility ,it is also used in
steam rooms and shower cubicles
 Disadvantages of glass
 As glass is a very costly material, it may increase the budgeted cost
of construction work.

  Use of glass also enhances the cost of security.

 Glass also comes with the disadvantage of being heavier and more
difficult to handle as it is easily breakable.

 Installing glass is labor-intensive because it must be set panel-by-

panel.

 Melts in high temperatures.

SOLUTIONS AND CURRENT TRENDS IN GLASS

Thermal insulation
 A transparent metallic coating reflects heat
back into the room rather than allowing it to
escape through the windows. At the same time,
it allows solar heat to pass into a building and
warm the interior.
 Low strength; so unable to share the stress loads. For instance, tall,
slender glass buildings would break under their own weight

 Transmits radiant heat; so interiors can gain heat from outside

sources (like the Sun) or lose heat when the outside is cold. Thus, a
steady interior temperature is harder to maintain unless special
technologies are invoked (like window blinds).

 Difficult to work with if irregular shapes are needed. Glass is

malleable only when heated and treated in special kilns and by
special tools.

 Glass in high buildings is a constant threat to people below who

might be underneath a falling glass pane or its shards. This is a not
infrequent happening during earthquakes in a city with high-rises.
Glass is also unsafe for earthquake proven area.
Solar control
 Solar control glass is glass designed to reduce or
prevent solar heating of buildings. There are two
approaches that can be used:
 The glass is either tinted (colored) throughout
the material (called a "body tint") or it has a
microscopically thin and transparent coating on
one side.
Safety and security
 To improve its resistance to impact and
breakage, glass can be either toughened or
laminated, depending on where and how it is
being used.
 Below is an example of laminated glass.
Wired glass
 Wire mesh glass has a grid or mesh of thin
metal wire embedded within the glass.
 Despite this belief, wired glass is actually weaker
than unwired glass due to the incursions of the
wire into the structure of the glass.
 Wired glass instead is utilized for its fire-
resistant abilities, and is well-rated to withstand
both heat and hose streams.
Self cleaning glass
 Self cleaning glass has been coated with a special
dual function layer that harnesses the elements to
which windows and facades are exposed - namely
the sun and rain - to break down and wash away
dirt. This first function is photo-catalytic; in other
words, it is activated by light to break down the
dirt that collects on it. The second function is to
spread rain water evenly over the glass.
Noise control
 Acoustically insulating glazing can be a major
contributor to comfort levels in buildings and houses.
Its benefits are greatest for people living or working
near busy high streets, urban traffic, motorways,
railway lines and airports, or on a flight path.
 The acoustic glass in a double-glazed unit uses a
special interlayer that acts as a dampening core so
that sound energy is effectively blocked from passing
from the outside to the inside pane of glass. 
CONCLUSION
 It can thus be easily appreciated that glass,
though used for thousands of years, is just
beginning to be understood and it is still possible
to get a variety of glasses with certain chemical
additives.
 We recommend the use of glass as it offers a
variety of functions and at the same time its
aesthetic value.