Thanks to the increasing availability of increasingly “smart” technical and technological solutions, it is possible to enhance living comfort within buildings while simultaneously pursuing a far-sighted strategy that reduces consumption, offering significant economic and environmental advantages. In other words, modern structural materials can be used to increase living comfort while reducing expenses and harmful atmospheric emissions.
The Importance of Glass
Glass is one of the materials increasingly utilized in construction thanks to a series of inimitable technical characteristics, enhanced by various chemical and/or mechanical processes that grant it particular resistance to heat and cold, impacts, and mechanical stress. Solar control glazings are an element that allows for the creation of windows, fixtures, display windows, or glass walls aimed at achieving energy efficiency. Characterized by a pleasantly modern design, solar control glazings facilitate the control of internal temperature, reducing the need for air conditioning systems and helping to reduce glare caused by excessive exposure to sunlight, thus significantly improving overall comfort.
Why Choose Solar Control Glazing
Solar control glazings are installed for two main reasons: on one hand, these glasses (also called reflective) are able to absorb and reflect the solar radiation that hits the outer face of the glass, preventing the greenhouse effect that leads to rising internal temperatures; on the other hand, solar control glasses combat the so-called “fading” effect, as well as glare and visual discomfort. Glass panes for construction are defined as solar control when one face is appropriately treated to obtain a predetermined selective reflection of solar radiation, the modulation of which can vary based on energy stress parameters (active solar control glass). Particularly suitable for public and commercial buildings, solar control glasses selectively reflect part of the solar radiation to prevent it from penetrating the protected environment in the form of light or heat, ensuring a high-quality finish.
Types of Glass Used for Solar Control
Depending on the technological production process and the physical-technical and energy characteristics, different types of glass used for solar radiation control can be distinguished. Solar control glasses include insulating glass, magnetron-coated glass, and edge-deleted reflective glass. The production process involves two main methods: pyrolytic coating, where a metallic oxide coating is deposited at high temperatures, and magnetron coating, where the metallic oxide coating is deposited under vacuum via an electromagnetic process.
In this way, a thin film is created on the glass surface capable of reducing the transmission of solar energy, protecting the interiors from the sun’s heat. Furthermore, the mirror-like nature of reflective glass also provides protection from prying eyes without reducing internal brightness or visual comfort. Also available in monolithic or laminated safety versions to meet specific protection requirements, solar control glasses are edge-deleted to ensure greater resistance to thermal and mechanical shock. They can be implemented with additional required performances, such as acoustic control, to guarantee the best acoustic silence.
Reflective solar control glasses ensure high mechanical and thermal resistance, reliability, and stability over time. Compliant with current energy-saving regulations, reflective solar control glasses have low-emissivity characteristics (magnetron glass) capable of contributing to the energy self-sufficiency of buildings.