In recent years open glass facade buildings have emerged all over the world, taking inspiration from the famous New York skyscrapers. Simply put, an open glass facade building is one whose frontal is made of glass, and offers outside views. These buildings offer views of the city, and ensure people can oversee the locality they are situated in. These open glass facade buildings are also great for ventilation purposes, and create a feeling of openness. Therefore, this trend has picked up pace in Pakistan as well. In this blog the construction of these designs will be discussed.
Open glass facade buildings are built in various designs. Each design offers its own set of functionality, and ensures protection of the building structure. The glass facade architecture in this case is highly important. Here’s how:
Details about the Construction of Open Facade Buildings
The most common kinds of glass facades are built in the following formations:
Curtain Wall
A curtain wall open glass facade is a non-structural outer covering of a wall. It is built from light-weight materials, and creates a smooth outer covering from the ceiling to the floor. This curtain wall facade protects against heat, sunlight, and sound. Curtain wall glass facades are fairly common in Pakistan, and you’ll see most of the corporate buildings being built using this technique.
Curved Facades
These are made using bent glass which might cause cracks during the heating and cooling process. Curved facades are hard to create and expensive. You will not find many buildings with a curved facade in Pakistan.
Roofs & Skylight
Glass roofs and skylight give a building a great luxurious look. Such building floor plans look like something out of movies. In Pakistan, glass roofs and/or skylight are more common in individual houses or high-end buildings. Malls in Pakistan, you’ll notice, usually have large glass roofs.
Spandrels
Spandrels are created using opaque glass that prevents visibility from outside. You’ll find spandrels in most curtain wall glass facade buildings. The opaque nature of the glass ensures privacy and security of the people working inside the buildings.
As open facade glass buildings are expensive and difficult to construct, therefore, builders and contractors should have to ensure that the laborers they are hiring are skilled enough to harness the glass accurately to avoid any loose ends and damages.
