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

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.

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

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.

With glass the entrance can be open and inviting but at the same time different combinations of glass can be used to provide for example: impact resistance, fire protection, sound insulation, security and thermal insulation

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 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.

Glass in its annealed form, framed and in tact is not an immediate threat but when it is broken the long shards turn into effective cutting devices with sharp edges and momentum. Fortunately glass can be modified to change these properties and reduce the risk of injury dramatically.

Improves the energy efficiency of domestic or commercial buildings whilst enabling the extensive use of glass and the benefit of passive solar gain.