South America - EN

Performance & Energy Efficiency

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Design with glass

From anti-reflection to color tints, modern glass enhances design in many ways.

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Whatever the construction challenge, we have the glass to help meet it.

Glass for your home

See how the correct choice of glass can help transform a home – and even our wellbeing.

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Faria Lima Plaza

Glass helps with occupants' comfort and safety for a diamond like shining building

Birmann 32

A LEED® Platinum certified building, winner of the first edition of Guardian South America Top projects

Wave Alphaville

SunGuard™ Solar LB52 helps bring a wavy-shaped glass skin façade into reality

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Our story

Just as we were in 1932, we're ready to meet the challenges of now and the future

Sustainability

Find out more about how glass can support sustainable design

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We strive for quality in everything we do

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Glass Analytics

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BIM objects

Download and use our standardized Guardian BIM content to create project specific BIM files

Seminars and online learning

For anyone who is interested in learning more about glass and its use

Energy efficient glass

Salesforce Tower

What are the criteria for measuring the energy performance of glass?

Glass can greatly influence energy use, light transmission, acoustics and facade strength. By understanding and applying each of these components, you can select the right glass for your project.

Glass contributes to a building’s energy performance by affecting both natural light transmission and solar control. Performance glass is measured by the following: 

U-value

The glazing parameter that characterizes the heat transfer through the central part of the glazing, i.e. without edge effects, and expresses the steady-state density of heat transfer rate per temperature difference between the environmental temperatures on each side. Temperature differential according to standard conditions: delta T=15K°. The lower the value, the greater is the insulating value.

U-value

Solar factor

Describes total solar energy admitted through glazing. A lower number = less solar energy passing through the glazing into the interior.

Solar factor

Light transmission

Measures the percentage of visible light (in the wavelength range of 380 nm to 780 nm) that passes through glazing. A higher number = more natural light in interior spaces.

Light transmission

Selectivity

The selectivity is the light transmission divided by the solar factor. A higher number = brighter spaces relative to solar control performance.

Selectivity

Building Energy Efficiency

Glass can impact light transmission and solar heat to improve the comfort of occupants and help the HVAC system operate at maximum efficiency. 

High-performance glass with a high selectivity can enable buildings in warmer climates to enjoy the benefits of natural light without intense interior temperatures, or the need to block the light with shades. Meanwhile, buildings in cooler climates can benefit from passive heating offered by glazing with a high solar factor.

Glass coatings with a lower U-Value have higher insulating properties, helping to keep the interior temperature consistent regardless of the outside climate. 

A wide variety of architectural glazing products are available to facilitate harmony between aesthetics and energy efficiency. 

Acoustics

We are surrounded by sound. Unfortunately, what many might consider pleasant, such as birds singing or laughter, is unfortunately frequently drowned out by less welcome noise. According to the World Health Organization, excessive noise seriously harms us. It can disturb sleep, cause cardiovascular and psychophysiological effects and reduce performance. 

Sound is transmitted through glass because the molecules compress against each other and spread that compression as a wave.  Noise can be reflected or absorbed by glass to varying degrees, depending on the combination of glass thickness and interlayers. 

Strength

Performance glass can provide strength while still offering transparency and beauty. This video illustrates the strength variations of different kinds of glass.  

All architectural glass, in its original state, is annealed. Yet further load resistance is attainable by applying heat treatment. This involves carefully heating the glass, and then rapidly cooling its surfaces to induce permanent compression. It’s important to note that the glass must be cut and fabricated before the process. There are two kinds of heat-treated glass:

  • Tempered glass is approximately 4 x stronger than annealed (standard) glass. When broken, it is designed to break into small pieces with comparatively dull edges.  Tempered glass can correspondingly qualify as safety glazing. 
  • Heat-strengthened glass is approximately 2 x stronger than annealed glass. When broken, its shards are more conductive to retention within the glazing panel frame than are those of fully tempered glass. 

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