There are numerous structural glass systems offered by various suppliers that open up vast possibilities for architects, allowing them to create a complete glass envelope for buildings with frameless façades on any plane.

BS EN 17074: Glass in building — Environmental product declaration — Product category rules for flat glass products. BS EN 17416: Glass in building — Assessment of release of dangerous substances — Determination of emissions into indoor air from glass products

A quick guide to some of the Standards & Building Regulations used in construction that have implications for the choice of glass

Pilkington Planar™ is used by architects to create expansive flush glass surfaces. The system utilises stainless steel fittings housed in countersunk holes to fix glass to its structure, making it more discreet while maximising visibility.

Structural glass: glass used in a manner where it may be supporting other building components (e.g. glass mullions) or where it performs a semi-structural role (e.g. free standing glass protective barriers). The term may also be used for glass fixed using bolted connections (frameless glazing), even if it performs no structural function.

Pilkington Anti-condensation Glass is suitable for a wide variety of commercial and domestic applications in combination with other energy-efficient glass products such as those from the Pilkington K Glass™ and Pilkington Optitherm™ Ranges.

Pilkington OptiView™ is a range of glass with an anti-reflective coating(s) to reduce visible light reflectance and to allow more light to pass through. The range is suitable for monolithic, laminated, and toughened applications and can also be glazed as part of an insulated glass unit build-up where required.

The creation of a glass façade in a residential house allows glass to be used in large uninterrupted areas creating consistent attractive surface. Glass panes can be installed in a system based on aluminium or steel profiles or as a point fixed structural glazing system where conventional metal framing is eliminated and the glass is ...

The strength of glass is determined by putting the glass under stress until it breaks. The surface strength is measured using a ring and the edge strength by 4 point bending. The test is repeated to derive a distribution for the break strength.

Barrier: structures designed to either guide the direction of pedestrian traffic or to provide a guarding to the edges of drops. See also information in Technical Bulletins Glass and Safety and Glass and Building Regulations – Stair, Ramps and Barriers. ... Base glass: a term used to describe the glass, which is subsequently processed, e.g ...