Stained-glass glazing in most cases is used on public buildings, such as shopping centers or hotels. This type of glazing provides a more modern look to the building, and therefore, in the last few years, demand for it has sharply increased.
The convenient design of stained-glass windows helps him to gradually begin to replace the familiar plastic windows, which, as it seemed a few years ago, are an indispensable and optimal option.
Features
Stained glass glazing is most relevant in cases where the installation of ordinary windows is not possible. In this case, the building can be given any architectural form and even make it a whole work of art.
In the manufacturing process of the structure, the following materials can be used:
- Plastic.
- Steel.
- Polycarbonate
- Aluminum.
- Tree.
Regardless of whether it is planar, structural glazing, frameless or frame, the result of the work should be a solid glass building. Outwardly, it looks quite modern, unusual, stylish and attractive.
pros
Undoubtedly, this design has both pros and cons. But it’s worth starting from the positive side. The advantages of stained glass include:
- Profitability. This type of coating is very economical in all its manifestations. In offices with such windows, much less money is spent on electricity, because the room is already well lit. In addition, with regard to materials and financial costs of installation, stained glass is one of the cheapest options.
- Durability. Manufacturers guarantee a life of at least fifty years. Glazing cannot be exposed to weathering or corrosion.
- Strength. If you look at the photo of stained glass glazing, you can decide that the design is as fragile as possible. But this is not at all true. It is able to withstand impacts of up to 80 kilograms, and most designs use armored glass, which is almost impossible to damage.
- Light transmission. Regardless of whether the structure is transparent or not, rays of light will still penetrate into the room and thereby make the stay in it more comfortable and cozy.
- Easy to repair. If any of the panel blocks is damaged, you do not need to completely change the entire facade. It is enough to replace one panel, and the design will not change its appearance.
- Environmental Safety. Any construction of this kind is equally safe for the environment and for people. Including an allergic reaction will not occur in children or allergy sufferers.
- Thermal insulation. Due to its design, stained glass glazing of facades allows you to simultaneously keep the heat in the room and not start the frost inside.
- Soundproofing. This type of glazing is absolutely tight, and therefore even the loudest sounds from the outside will not be heard in the room.
- Fire safety. The materials used to install these systems are fireproof to the maximum. They are not prone to fire or smoke.
- Lightness and flexibility. This type of facade can even be installed on dilapidated or reconstructed buildings due to its low weight.
- A variety of types of designs. Facades are not limited in their shape, they can be of completely different types - voluminous or flat. It all depends solely on the desire of the buyer.
- Variety of colors. The variety of stained-glass windows knows no bounds. And even if the material of your choice is of the wrong color, this can easily be fixed with powder paint, which is applied to the glass.
- Attractiveness. As already mentioned, with the help of such structures you can give the building a modern look. It is believed that it is with the help of stained glass glazing that modern buildings and even entire cities should be formed.
Minuses
But with a huge number of positive qualities of this design, one should also not forget about its undeniable disadvantages:
- This design is categorically not recommended if high seismic activity is observed in the region.
- Stained glass is unstable to significant wind load.
- The effect of "transparent walls" will not be pleasant to everyone. This can especially affect people who are afraid of heights, and cause them anxious states.
- The owners of the building have to spend money on cleaning the windows, and without it it will not look so expensive and lose all its external charm.
- Some types of glazing have sufficiently low characteristics when it comes to heat saving.
Varieties of systems
Depending on the type of fastening, stained glass systems are divided into:
- Structural.
- Semi-structural.
- Planar
- Fake glass.
- Rack-and-beam glazing.
What designs are used in Russia most often? The most common is rack-and-beam glazing (due to the fact that it is the cheapest option). This design uses a profile that is clearly visible through the glass.
Semi-structural
Such structures are often used for monumental buildings, because this coating helps to give lightness to the entire building. Here the profiles are not so noticeable, but they can still be considered.
Structural glazing
What are its features? In this type of design profiles are not visible at all. This is due to the fact that end fixing is carried out, and the hollow parts of the seams are carefully hidden by pouring with sealant. This species is considered one of the most expensive. Also, during the construction of the structure, it is necessary to take into account the mass of gaps that will help the glass cope with large temperature fluctuations.
Planar glazing
This is a type of frameless glazing of residential and office premises, which is carried out using the so-called spiders. This type is one of the newest, but is already rapidly gaining fans.
False stained glass window, or hinged
This is a glazing method designed solely to hide any wall defects. Used rarely enough.
There is also another classification for glazing. So, according to the design, the following structures are distinguished:
In this case, color designs have an undeniable advantage. They have high resistance to UV rays, high mechanical strength. Mostly this type of structure is used for glass roofs or dome structures.
Requirements for stained glass glazing of facades
Are there any special requirements for it? Aluminum stained glass glazing is no different from any other types of facade. According to regulatory documents and fire safety measures, the requirements remain the same.
Glazing of balconies and loggias
Why is this done? Stained-glass glazing of loggias helps to visually increase its area, as well as balconies. Such a design of loggias can increase the level of light in the room that adjoins it.
Stained-glass glazing also helps to translate into reality any design idea, even the craziest. With this design, you can visually highlight a balcony or loggia among hundreds of others. Due to the large area of the glazing, it is quite easy to give it an individual design and make the loggia more comfortable.
How to insulate?
Insulation of stained-glass windows is especially necessary if the owner of the apartment or house decided to turn his own balcony into a separate room or create an office out of it. Thus, with the onset of cold weather, the homeowner will certainly think about the insulation of the room.
Stained glass balcony has not too good thermal insulation. Therefore, you may need to use additional resources for insulation.
Warming options
Basically, there are two types of insulation options: when the glazing is already installed and when it is only planned. The second option is more advantageous, because then it will be possible to insulate the glazing itself.
In the case when the glazing is already installed, you need to understand that now you can only try to insulate the walls, ceiling and floor. In this case, the heat loss will be much higher.
Types of insulation
The types of insulation include the following procedures:
- It is necessary to close up all existing and even subtle holes that are at the joints of the frame and the glass itself. To perform this procedure, even ordinary mounting foam is suitable.
- The establishment of thermal insulation. In recent years, spraying thermal insulation, which already includes waterproofing, has gained particular popularity. Penofol must also be attached over the spraying layer, and the seams should be additionally treated with aluminum tape. Thus, it is possible to extend the life of the insulation.
- If it is planned that the balcony will be used year-round, you must also take care of heating the room.
Below we consider the main types of heating. This information will be useful to anyone who plans to install stained glass balcony.
Types of heating
Due to the fact that it is strictly forbidden to take out radiators to the balcony , it is necessary to consider other ways of heating the room. Let's consider them in more detail:
- The outside of the parapet can be insulated in many ways. To do this, it must be plastered, sheathed with lining or expanded polystyrene. Having taken care of the warmth of the walls and ceiling, you must not forget about the floor, because it is because of it that there can be major heat losses.
- The "warm floor" system. This option is the most effective. But when using it, it is better to choose an infrared film. It is convenient in that it can be mounted not only on the floor, but also on the walls, and even on the ceiling.
conclusions
So, we found out what are the advantages and disadvantages of such designs. Despite the fact that panoramic glazing looks quite expensive and helps to create the feeling of a modern house, it also has a number of disadvantages that must be considered when choosing this design.
The main disadvantage is that it is an unrealistic task to install stained glass glazing independently, without the help of specialists. Indeed, in this case it will be necessary to fully take into account the technology, adhere to all established parameters and follow all recommendations.
This is quite difficult to do on your own, because any error in the method of establishing glazing can lead to serious errors, which include the lack of heat and noise insulation. These two qualities are most important when it comes to both the office and the living room.
Despite the presence of shortcomings, it is impossible to dispute the fact that panoramic glazing is quite easy to use. In addition, its low cost and quick installation can not but attract buyers. And therefore, such designs are gaining special popularity in the past few years. It is worth using stained glass or better to do without it, it's up to you.