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Glass types

ADAguy

Registered User
Joined
Sep 11, 2013
Messages
6,307
Location
California
Please clairify whether Tempered Glass:
Has any waviness to it.
Whether laminated glass has any waviness.
Can we design a house today with 50% glass, assuming the glass has tinting allowing for maximum light transmission/minimum heat transfer and 6' eves.
 
house3.jpg
Please clairify whether Tempered Glass:
Has any waviness to it.
No more than regular float glass, it does scratch with razor blades though.
Whether laminated glass has any waviness.
No more that the float glass used to make it.
Can we design a house today with 50% glass, assuming the glass has tinting allowing for maximum light transmission/minimum heat transfer and 6' eves.

The house pictured above met California's strict Title 24 requirements, it has all triple pane with laminated in the center pane, the inner and outer panes are in some cases tempered when required by location, in the windows shown in the foreground all are tempered due to proximity to floors inside and outside.
 
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"The process of heating float glass to a level of soft pliability, then rapidly cooling it, will always cause optical distortion to some degree. This is the case for heat-strengthened and fully tempered glass. One common form of optical distortion is roller wave. During the heating process, glass will sag very slightly between the carrier rolls that transport the glass through the furnace. After heating, the glass passes through the quench, which “freezes” the glass, creating the compression and tension that provides either heat-strengthened or fully tempered glass. However, this process can also result in a slight deviation from optically flat glass, usually seen as ripples or roller wave. Glass thickness and size affect the amount of distortion: Generally, the thicker the glass, the less deviation from flatness, while larger glass sizes may also appear to have more distortion."

Search "laminated tempered glass optical distortion or illusion"
 
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Thank you Francis, now consider this please; familiar with the Case Study Houses of the 40's & 50's, they had expansive areas of plate glass which would be illegal today for both safety & California energy requirements.
Case Study #6 by Neutra is a case in question, could it be built today without dual/triple pane windows using an advanced glazing product to have the same areas of glazing? The intent is for it to replicate what wasn't built at the time, for a student laboratory today.
 
ADAguy, I'm not familiar with those studies, but anything is possible where cost is not questioned.

Unlike California, in Virginia the IRC administrative section permits "Material or equipment, or both, may be replaced in the same location with material or equipment of a similar kind or capacity."

The Virginia IRC also provides the option to use the Virginia Rehabilitation Code (IEBC) and in accordance to the exception of section 301.1; "alterations complying with the laws in existence at the time the building or the affected portion of the building was built shall be considered in compliance with the provisions of this code . . ."

This practice sure does encourages recycling building materials from Habitat for Humanity!
 
ADAguy,
You know the Performance method of the 2016 CA Energy Code is about Trade-offs. You add more Glazing by decreasing the energy usage elsewhere. create a "net-Zero house".
 
Installing no windows is your best window of opportunity! :p
to achieve a Neutra house, no windows is not an option.

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As code officials, we should all agree to use the term safety glazing.... tempered glass, while common nomenclature, is a brand name.
 
A brand name? I think not, a generic term for a method of producing a type of (safety glazing) glass, yes
 
"Spot on" MH. As too wrapping the steel? Dion might take issue with that. Maybe some Simpson products might do the trick?
 
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