Constructive glass design

Special glass for new paths in architecture

The desire for large scale application makes glass a material of the 21st century. The step from a physical barrier to a constructive element has been taken. Above all, constructions using point-fixed glass elements are a visible sign of this trend.

In this area, glass must overcome completely new challenges. Unlike all traditional applications, the glass elements must also bear the forces they are subject to. Therefore the choice of glass and sizing must consider regulations and safety aspects which are radically different to those of the past. It is also absolutely imperative that gaining subsequent approval from the building regulation authorities is considered at the planning stage.

With regard to point-fixed constructions, we differentiate fundamentally between types of fixings (round head or countersunk head), the different bolt types (fixed or articulated) and the different options for connection to the structure itself.

New special glass products and as yet unknown challenges for glass refinement and processing are an inevitable consequence of the new applications for the raw material glass.

ISOLAR® has years of experience in manufacturing the special glass required and in implementation of projects with a wide range of different point-fixed glass constructions. In 2003, the German Institute for Structural Engineering granted a general building inspectorate approval for a system of point-fixed glass facades designed completely within the group.