Glass was primarily used in mirrors and windows until recently. Advances in glass technology have enabled its use in architecture and interior decoration for aesthetic and functional purposes.

  Versatile

With today’s technology, the versatility of glass in interior design has assumed new dimensions. Advances in processes have increased both the finishes available, and the integrity of the glass itself. It is available in glazed, laminated, toughened and acoustic versions for various applications like doors and windows, partitions and architectural features like balustrades, structural glazing, atrium ceiling and conservatories. Skylights constitute a major application for glass in commercial and residential buildings.

In the contemporary world of design, the clarity and elegance of glass have added to the scope for aesthetic improvement as well as sheer functionality. The transparency of glass allows a home or office to add light and space to any environment, imparting a feel-good experience to the occupants while providing structures with an ambiguous, floating quality. It opens up the interiors and allows free flow of light. Glass also goes well with other materials like wood and metal.

  Touch of style

From partitioning and shower enclosures to mirrors, wall paneling, cladding for pillars, cabinet and wardrobe doors and showcases, light wells, floor panels, stair treads, balustrades and furniture, glass adds a touch of real style to give every area a chic, contemporary and up market look. Glass has a wealth of qualities that make it the best choice for flooding an area with colour. Colour-coated glass in various shades can provide a stunning look to walls and surfaces. It can also be used in bathrooms with great effect.

While beveled glass is today a preferred material for paneling, frosted glass is used in bathrooms. Interior designers maintain that nothing beats the fragile elegance of glass. The range of uses extends to shower enclosures, walls, staircases and even furniture.

Laminated safety glass is made from two pieces of flat glass sandwiched by a resin chemical inter layer using self adhesive double-sided foam tape. It is impact resistant and shatter-proof offering safety. High end versions are also made for noise insulation and UV filtration.

From the design angle, the transparency of glass ensures that it does dominate the space. Unlike other materials, glass blends with other elements and does not demand a share of the space. This is a major advantage, especially for small rooms and other spaces.

One room where glass is virtually displacing other materials is the kitchen. In most households, almost 50 per cent of the vessels are of glass. While the advent of microwave ovens have dictated the switch in some cases, housewives swear by the hygienic property of glass and the ease of washing. Resistance to scratches is another major reason.

Use the right type

Ordinary glass is extremely dangerous because it breaks into jagged pieces that cause serious injuries. Falling glass from high-rise buildings can cause fatal injuries. It is imperative to use proper glass in our buildings.

Annealed glass is glass without internal stresses caused by heat treatment (i.e toughening or heat strengthening). Glass becomes annealed if it becomes heated above a transition point, then allowed to cool slowly, through not quenched. Thus glass made using the float glass process is annealed by the process of manufacture. As a result glass is simply described or specified as "float glass". Annealed glass is the common glass that breaks into large, jagged shards that can cause serious injury. Hence annealed glass is considered a hazard in architectural applications. Building codes in many parts of the world restrict the use of annealed glass in areas where there is a high risk of breakage and injury, for example in bathrooms, in door panels, fire exits and at low heights in schools.

Premium range

Saint Gobain Glass India has recently introduced a range of imported premium design glass range for interiors. The new generation glasses come in lacquered, geometric textured, clear patterned, matt finished, translucent, patterned and silvered versions to suit different applications. The company claims that its new range has opened up immense possibilities in interior design. All the versions can be cut, drilled and surface processed for various applications. In commercial institutions, glass is slowly replacing wood, particle board and other materials for partitions. The latest trend is the stand- alone glass panels that can be installed without an aluminium frame.

Imported etching tapes that can print corporate logos, designs and images on glass are the latest rage. Glass bricks available in various sizes are also used for partitions.

Types of safety glass

There are different categories of safety glass:

Toughened (T) - toughened by a heat treatment. It disintegrates into small, granular pieces, which are not sharp, and reduces the risk of injury. Small pieces will still be dangerous to children and so ensure they are kept away in the event of breakage.

Laminated (L) - Two or more sheets of ordinary glass attached together by a plastic interlayer. On impact any broken glass will remain attached to the plastic layer reducing the risk of injury.

Wired glass (W) - Has a network or mesh of wires embedded in it.

Toughened glass

Toughened glass does not break easily; if impacted with a force that it is not able to withstand, it breaks into small fragments that do not inflict grave injuries. Tempering of glass is a process by which the impact strength of normal annealed glass is increased by 4 to 5 times. The process involves heating up of the glass to near about melting point (650 degree Celsius) and subsequent quenching. The sudden temperature difference puts the glass into a state of compression with the centre core in tension. Tempered glass gets added strength from these compressed surfaces.

The use of this type of glass will promote safety. Architects and builders have already switched to tempered (either toughened or heat-strengthened) glass in new building or construction projects. The United States and the European Union have already made tempered glass a standard specification in buildings. In our country, glass tempering plants produce the required quality indigenously for various applications and in a range of different thickness.

Laminated glass

Laminated glass is a type of safety glass that holds together when shattered. In the event of breakage, it is held in place by an interlayer, typically of Poly Vinayl Butyle (PVB), between two or more layers of glass. The interlayer keeps the layers of glass bonded even when broken, and its high strength prevents the glass from breaking up into large sharp pieces. This produces a characteristic "spider web" cracking pattern when the impact is not enough to completely pierce the glass.

Laminated glass is normally used when there is a possibility of human impact or where the glass could fall if shattered. Shop-front glazing and windshields are typically laminated glasses. The PVB interlayer also gives the glass a much higher sound insulation rating, due to the damping effect, and also blocks 99% of transmitted UV light. Using toughened glass on windshields would be a problem when a small stone hits the windshield at speed, as it would shatter into the small squares making visibility difficult and it would also be likely that the wind would blow the small squares into the driver and passenger's eyes.

Wired glass

For decades, wired glass has been the most common fire-rated glass product specified in schools. It's no wonder - it provides economical and reliable fire protection. And for a long time, wired glass was the only product available that could do the job. But there is a down side: despite its tough appearance, wired glass can't tolerate much impact. And when it breaks, the wires can create nasty snags, possibly inflicting serious injury.

When fire codes were first drafted, there were no alternatives to wired glass. So wired glass was granted an exemption from meeting impact safety requirements. The consensus was that the risks posed by fire were greater than the risks posed by breakage. But fire safety without impact safety isn't enough for the current day requirements, especially when you have a corridor filled with students jostling each other on their way to class. In such settings, wired glass can be a disaster waiting to happen and one should invariably prefer toughened glass.