Advantages of Glass Blocks

The main reason to use glass blocks in a commercial building is their ability to bring daylight. As a new modern material, glass block helped companies project the image that their goods and services were up–to–date and of the latest fashion.

• It has been used in offices, subway terminals, parking garages, and gymnasiums, in addition to numerous private and commercial new construction and renovations.
• Glass blocks also found popularity in institutional and civic projects. In places like schools, colleges, and hospitals, glass blocks is providing an abundance of daylight
  with no glare, which is useful for both students and surgeons alike.

 

1. Allows Natural Light to Pass

Depending upon the cutting pattern of the glass, different percentages of light transmission are possible. While transmitting light, the rays are distorted and diffused, which reduces glare.

2. Privacy

While light is passing through the glass block, it provides privacy. They are more secure than ordinary glass because of their thickness.

3. Comes in a Variety of Options

Glass blocks come in a variety of standardized dimensions; therefore, purchasing and installation become easier. As more patterns began to be introduced, owners and architects have multiple design choices.

4. Provide Security and Durability

Glass blocks are resistant to cracking and deterioration even though they are not load-bearing. Also, glass blocks are easy to clean due to the non–porous surface.

5. Provides a Good Thermal and Sound Insulation

The partial vacuum in the center of the block works to retard heat rays and help to maintain the temperature of the building’s interior.

6. Extremely Resistant

Impact Resistance:

• Glass blocks are stronger than conventional glass because of the thickness of the faces and the mortar that binds the blocks together. Glass blocks are more difficult to break and, therefore, provide resistance and are a deterrent to forced entry and vandalism. Glass block units of solid 2 inch provide the greatest resistance to breakage and are ballistics-tested and qualified to UL levels 1, 2 and 6.
• In a glass block system with mortar, single blocks can be replaced at minimal expense compared to conventional glass, which requires the replacement of the full pane or panel.

Earthquake Resistance:

• A glass block panel has two attributes that make them safe in earthquakes. One of them is their rigidity relative to a tall building’s rigidity. When a glass block is used in a high-rise building the panels experience earthquake motions that cycle back and forth very slowly relative to the vibration frequency of the glass block. Therefore, the glass blocks stay stable during an earthquake motion. The second attribute is the rigidity of the glass block panel relative to the rigidity of short buildings or residences. Generally, the vibration frequency is greater than the more severe vibration frequency of the earthquake ground shaking. Therefore, earthquake g – force is not amplified or turned into the ground motion as in other architectures, such as chandeliers or bookshelves.

7. Green Building Credits

Glass blocks clearly fit in the green building design. It provides excellent light transmission and reduces the amount of energy needed for electricity to light a building’s interior.

8. Safety and Environmental Benefits

The glass block has a unique property that makes it safe and environmentally friendly. Glass block plays an important role in green building and contribution to several categories in LEED certifications—both in quantifiable and qualitative measures.

• Glass block has a low life cycle impact, as it is recyclable and manufactured from unlimited natural resources. Moreover, glass block is manufactured from 100 percent glass; it does not emit any harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

9. Fire-Protection

• There are no glass block assemblies that qualify as fire-rated wall assemblies. So, the test is carried out only to determine the structural soundness of glass assembly and prevent the passage of smoke and other noxious fumes during the fire test.
• All fire-rated glass blocks available in the market meet a 45-minute or longer duration test. Thicker-faced glass blocks and solid units are available with ratings of 60 minutes and 90 minutes.