The future of glass – examples of innovative products and forms

Peter Tückmantel

Of the many interesting developments in the field of glass, such as coating technology or adaptive systems, three topics are of outstanding importance:
• laminated glass, see figure 1
• glass constructions, particularly with adhesions, see figure 2
• free-form surfaces, see figure 3

In order to carry out all-glass constructions, special sticking techniques are needed to an increasing degree. Moreover, considerations for the security of the system become more and more important. Laminated systems are of crucial importance for safety. They enable us to work with high-tech connection techniques and make it possible to take various design elements into consideration. Furthermore, technical aspects such as energy production by use of the photovoltaic as well as sun protection can be taken into account.

Protection of birds by use of the innovation Ornilux is another safety aspect. Finally, free-form surfaces demand high standards to planning and execution, especially concerning the transformation of the already complex glass topic from relatively simple geometric tasks to complex spatial solutions. Such freeform surfaces can be realized with trussed frameworks. There are already many excellent solutions using such a kind of structure. However, it is also possible to realize this by use of a cable net which is shown below.

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The Authors

Mr. Peter Tückmantel sales - Management Hunsrücker Glasveredelung Wagener GmbH & Co KG Read more