Glass roofs ensure effective protection against atmospheric agents without creating an obstacle to the natural influx of solar lighting. Being made of glass—transparent, colored, opaque, glossy, or satin depending on the client’s requests—structural crystal roofs allow people to stay outdoors while offering shelter from rain, snow, and hail, but they do not risk making the interior environments darker.
Glass Roofs: The Applications
Ideal for application on the entrances of private homes, hotels, bars, restaurants, and public establishments, the glass roofs proposed by Vetreria Re are custom-designed and created according to the client’s specific requests, allowing for wide possibilities of technical and aesthetic personalization. Indeed, it is possible to create structural crystal roofs or glass and steel roofs, single or double-arched roofs, flat or curved crystal roofs, as well as roofs in glossy, opaque, satin, sandblasted, colored, and even decorated glass with the insertion of images or relief ornaments.
The definition of structural glass roofs applies to all those coverings whose load-bearing structure consists of glass pillars and beams (meaning all roofs where the structural elements are glass), sometimes using metal cables as tie rods. The structure of the glass coverings can be made with various materials, among which steel is the most common, especially for large roofs, while for medium or small roofs, stainless steel or aluminum can be used. In cases where structural crystal roofs are large, it is possible to use the Spiderglass fixing system, which allows for wider glass surfaces for the same sheet thickness compared to traditional fixing systems, ensuring a modern and clean finish.
Aesthetic, Versatile and Functional: Vetreria Re Glass Roofs
Regarding the shape of the glass roofs, one can choose from a range that includes modules with irregular geometries, within the limits determined by the physical characteristics of glass, especially for structural crystal coverings. The type of glass that can be used for the creation of roofs, sheds, or coverings ranges from laminated crystals, in the presence of metal load-bearing structures with support on all sides, to tempered and laminated glass with PVB interlayers for more extreme load conditions, such as point-fixing or when the glass covering does not rest on the entire perimeter.
The creation of glass roofs must be carried out exclusively by industry professionals capable of statically verifying the support structure using specific tables, diagrams, or FEM models based on experimental data. This ensures maximum safety and durability, contributing to the overall comfort of the entrance area. The covering can be integrated with a secondary grid of aluminum profiles similar to those used for curtain walls, thus equipped with gaskets and channels capable of conveying any rainwater infiltration, maintaining acoustic silence even during heavy rain. Vetreria Re is available to Italian and international clients for the production of glass coverings for roofs.