All Roads Lead to Glass

by Jonathan McGaha | April 29, 2013 12:00 am

It was said in ancient times that “all roads lead to Rome,” and when it comes to architectural railing in these modern times, “all roads lead to glass.” The incontrovertible evidence of this shift in modern building construction to using more glass is all around us. Just view the outside or inside of any new or retrofitted commercial building or custom home and you’ll see liberal amounts of glass being used. People who design buildings want them to look great from the outside, and incorporating glass helps them achieve this. Designers also want unobstructed views of the outside from the inside of their buildings, and this can also be achieved with glass.

 

Glass is a unique material that is both transparent and reflective. Glass can be used to dress up a building, and provide it with an element of style. Glass allows light to pass through a building envelope and brighten the inside. This helps to not only create a positive mood inside, but also to reduce the energy demand from electrical lighting. Simply said, glass is an attractive and environmentally friendly building material.

 

When designing a building, some ascribe little importance to selecting the architectural railing, but railing is important. Architectural railing provides a measure of safety, which is required by local building codes. It can also add to or detract from the visual appeal of a building. When an appropriate style of railing is selected it serves as a focal point, similar to how fine jewelry accentuates a nice outfit. On the other hand, if a poor choice is made, it can look out of place, diminishing our perception of the building. Architectural railing is also important to consider because it is used in many areas of a building, such as the staircase, walkways, and interior and exterior balconies.

 

Just as glass has soared in popularity these past few decades, so have architectural railings featuring glass. Glass architectural railing is modern and stylish, but it also serves other purposes. In a department store, for example, designers want shoppers to see through the railing so that their goods are not blocked from view. Similarly, homeowners whose homes are nestled in beautiful settings, such as near a canyon or lake, want to see their views. When chosen properly, glass architectural railing adds value to a building or home. Imagine resting in a comfortable chair on the balcony of your custom home realizing that because you opted for the all-glass railing you can now enjoy your beautiful view, unobstructed.

 

One of the reasons behind this rising trend in glass architectural railing is that there have been advances by the railing manufacturers in design, engineering, and manufacturing. Fifteen to twenty years ago, the selection of railing was more limited. Back then, most architectural railings were costly custom designs with long production lead times. While there are many types and styles of architectural railing available today, there are two basic styles that incorporate glass.

 

The first type is a metal post railing system, often constructed of stainless steel, which incorporates glass as an infill. There are also frameless glass railing systems in which glass panels also serve as the upright supports. These frameless glass railing systems accept either monolithic tempered or laminated tempered glass. They can be either wet glazed or dry glazed into the base shoe (also known as TAPER-LOC). The dry glaze system offers distinct advantages. It can be installed in half the time compared to wet glazing. If the glass breaks or needs to be changed, the tapers can be easily removed and the glass section replaced. Earlier this year it was announced that C.R. Laurence, Los Angeles, was the very first architectural railing manufacturer to ever receive ICC-ES approval for a frameless glass railing system
(ICC-ES Report ESR-3269). Today an ICC-ES approved glass railing system can be chosen and specified with confidence no matter where in the country the building is located.

As a building material, glass offers many unique characteristics, and it is for this reason that it is in great demand. Architectural railings that incorporate glass look great and add value to their buildings. Recent advancements in architectural railing have resulted in well-designed, readily-available frameless glass railing systems that are a perfect accompaniment to today’s sleek, modern buildings. Clearly, when it comes to architectural railings, “all roads lead to glass.”

—

Greg Rewers is the vice president of marketing at Los Angeles-based C.R. Laurence. To learn more, visit www.crlaurence.com[1].

Source URL: https://www.metalarchitecture.com/articles/all-roads-lead-to-glass/

---