We live in a tropical country without major natural disasters, but there is one problem that we have gotten used to: the heat!
Increasingly we suffer more and more due to the excessive heat, and according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the planet’s temperature may increase even more by 2100.
People speak a lot about environmental comfort and increasingly architects and engineers have begun to solve these problems with the use of modern glass. Did you know that with the use of high technology, there is a special glass which filters the sunlight selectively, reducing the heat input up to 80% inside, minimally reducing the brightness?
And the present glass can block the input of UV ray (Ultraviolet) in almost 100%, which prevents aging and discoloration of furniture, flooring, etc., which are consequences of the solar radiation.
The effective use of materials, the use of architectural strategies, and distribution of the spaces in relation to solar orientation are indispensable for thermally pleasant environments.
The most important factors of glass are LT (light transmission) and SF (solar factor) that reflect the performance of each type of glass, according to lighting and heat filtration. The LT is the percentage of visible light passing through the glass and SF is the total of energy (heat) that enters inside the environment (total transmission + re-irradiation)
The shading coefficient is also widely used, it compares the incoming energy of a special glass with the common 3mm glass. When the SF or the shading coefficient is reduced, the heat decreases as well, and the product has better performance.
Let’s consider a practical example of success and improvement: the restoration of the Cathedral of Brasilia. We from Avec Design used a glass with 50% LT (making the environment more pleasant) and the shading coefficient 0.38, which means the input of only 38% compared to the common glass, such as the old glass. Therefore, 2/3 of heat input was reduced, providing the thermal comfort in the interior of the cathedral.
Before…
During the renovation …
After…
The evolution of glass corrected the comfort problems in the Cathedral, because despite the genius project, these special glasses did not exist at the time.
Cautious choices in the projects are capable of generating thermal comfort that is often achieved only with the use of modern glass.
References:
www.cebrace.com.br
