There are a wide range of glasses to choose from to meet the needs of any project. Spandrel glass is one such option.

Unlike vision glass, which is meant to be transparent, spandrel glass is designed to be opaque in order to help hide features between the floors of a building, including vents, wires, slab ends and mechanical equipment.

For years, UV light transmittance used to be thought of as the measure of a glazing material's ability to protect furnishings from fading due to sunlight exposure. Now, ISO Damage Weighted Transmittance, or Tdw-ISO, is considered the most accurate criterion for assessing potential fading damage.

Understanding the solar energy spectrum is key to understanding glass coatings. Glass coatings affect the way the different parts of the solar spectrum are absorbed into, transmitted through or reflected off of glass, all of which factor into the glass' energy efficiency.

Accommodating for wind and snow is one of the important upfront considerations in the design and specification process. There is a multi-step process that must be undertaken to help ensure the glass in your project is able to resist these loads.

Condensation means the IGU is working properly, serving as a thermal barrier between extremes in temperature.

While glass looks great aesthetically, it also has to meet high performance standards. An important part of performance relates to acoustics, whether it’s large, dramatic panels used for the exterior of a building, or smaller panels used to create interior partitions. When designing a project there are a number of sound-related factors you need to understand and take into consideration, including:

There are several key elements that impact the performance of an insulated glass unit. These include the primary seal thickness and width, secondary seal width, the spacer and the desiccant.

Review the Slide Share for valuable information about key glass performance terms. The slides provide an overview on common terminology used in the glass industry, including: Visible Light Transmittance (VLT), Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC), Light-to-Solar Gain Ratio (LSG) and U-Value, both winter and summer.