Architectural glass

Aesthetics

In terms of aesthetics, with such a wide range of high quality architectural glass products now available, architects  can push the limits of what is possible in their projects. There are so many possibilities and glass options to choose from, designers can meet the design intent, while keeping up with the latest design trends.

Oversized glazing and curved glass provide innovative possibilities for you to create something unique, in the size and shape you desire. From neutral to more colored glass, designers can create visually stunning, eye-catching facades. Architectural glass can also offer various levels of reflectivity, from low reflectivity to help integrate the building with its environment, to highly reflective glass that creates a bold statement or changes a building’s appearance depending on the time of day and the weather. 

Environmnetal stewardship

Architectural glass is playing an increasingly important role in contributing to more sustainable, energy efficient buildings. Advanced glazing solutions can achieve very high levels of energy performance and help reduce operational carbon emissions.

We are working to continuously improve our products and are researching innovative methods to help minimize the impact that glazing solutions have on the environment and throughout the lifecycle.

To add to this, Guardian products can help customers achieve environmental building certifications such as LEED® or BREEAM® and reduce energy costs during a building’s lifetime.

Thermal insulation

Changing temperatures during the day, between different seasons and across different climates, make it difficult to maintain a comfortable indoor environment. Thermal insulating architectural glass welcomes natural light into a room, while helping to reduce the negative effects of cold outside temperatures. The glass reflects heat back into the room to keep inside.

Solar control

Solar control architectural glass can help reduce the ‘greenhouse effect’ that occurs in summer as rooms heat up to the point that they become unpleasant to be in. Indoor spaces can become brighter and cooler, while uncomfortable glare from the sun can be filtered out.

Our range of architectural glazing products can provide solar control, light transmission, and thermal insulation properties in a wide range of colors and appearances to help accommodate many applications.

Curtain walls

Acting as a non-structural, outer covering of a building, a curtain wall made from architectural glazing can provide high natural daylight, thermal comfort while meeting the  desired appearance (e.g. color, reflectivity, transparency).

Curved glazing

Architectural glass solutions have been developed that withstand the bending process without affecting the visual appearance of the glass. These solutions open new design possibilities while still providing the required thermal and solar performance to contribute to the energy efficiency of the building.

Spandrels

Designs that call for large areas of glass such as curtain walls or structural glazing often include spandrels, which is opaque glass that conceals structural building components such as columns, floors, HVAC systems and vents, preventing these from being visible from the exterior of the building. Depending on the design, the spandrel appearance may match the vision glass or complement it.

Bird friendly glazing

Each year, millions of birds accidentally fly into glass windows, doors and facades, with many of these collisions being fatal. This, and more stringent building requirements around the world, mean that architects are now looking for glass solutions that are safer and which help reduce the risk of bird collisions, while still providing the aesthetic and performance attributes that their projects require.