The proverb, “people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones,” need not apply to these performance solutions. Equipped with innovative materials and manufactured by clever new techniques, these glass products address structural, safety, thermal, and weather-related concerns.
Vacuum IG
Guardian Glass
Pictured here in a retrofit at Sherzer Hall at Eastern Michigan University, Vacuum IG is paired with Guardian’s SunGuard coated glass to create a hybrid, low-e, vacuum-insulated glass that provides thermal insulation and minimizes the amount of ultraviolet and infrared light passing through without compromising visible light transmission.
Fireframes TimberLine
TPG
FireFrames TimberLine has the aesthetic panache of wood with all the fire performance characteristics that steel brings. Pairing a burly steel frame with a real wood cap cover and Pilkington Pyrostop fire-rated glass, the system effectively works as a radiant and conductive heat barrier.
H3 FeelSafe Casement & Double Hung
Sierra Pacific
What do you have to do before a hurricane? You board up the windows! Made from extruded aluminum, vinyl, and solid wood, these windows may not eliminate the need for that altogether, but they do withstand Zone III or IV hurricane-force winds and water damage.
GPX FireFloor
Safti
Walk (safely) this way on a tempered, laminated surface supported by a structural steel frame. The fire-resistant flooring system is assembled with no air between the fire-rated glass and the laminated walking surface, alleviating concerns associated with condensation.
Attack-Resistant Openings
School Guard Glass and Assa Abloy
Hardware manufacturer Assa Abloy and safety glass manufacturer School Guard Glass partnered to design an attack-resistant door for schools. When paired together, the Ceco Door with SG5 attack-resistant glazing survives the most brutal blows and even gunshots. Stronger and longer-lasting than a security film, the system is easy and affordable to retrofit into preexisting openings for increased security.
Krypton-enhanced glass
MI Windows and Doors
Replacing commonly used argon, new krypton-insulated glass effectively decreases the flow of heat from the outside in. The gas lives between two panes of glass, separated by a warm edge spacer system. It is available with MI’s 1650 double-hung, 1650 fixed, and 1685 double-slider triple-pane windows.
NX-300
Kawneer
Designed for historic window restorations, the NX-300 thermal window bestows an antiquated look that is updated to meet contemporary performance codes. It is available in a variety of casement outswing, awning, fixed, and fixed over awning configurations.
