Material study

Material Study:

For the material study I decided to look into different glazing systems. The use of glazing systems in school design plays an important role in the learning environment.

n a study of 21,000 grade school students in 1999, researchers concluded that

“students perform better and learn as much as 25% faster in classrooms” with

1 abundant natural light and in classrooms with the “largest window areas.”

• Students with the most daylight in the classroom showed a 21% improvement in learning rates compared to students in the same districts in classrooms with the least daylight.2  (http://www.safeglassforschools.com/CMS/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Measuring-the-Benefits-of-Light.pdf)

There are many different types of glazing system that can be applied to the building envelope. The three properties that all glazing systems contain  are:

Reflectivity (reflectivity coefficient R)

Transmissivity (transmissivity coefficient T) Transmittance refers to the percentage of radiation that can pass through glazing. Transmittance can be defined for different types of light or energy, e.g., visible transmittance, UV transmittance, or total solar energy transmittance.

Absorptivity (absorptivity coefficient A)

Energy that is not transmitted through the glass or reflected off of its surfaces is absorbed. Once glass has absorbed any radiant energy, the energy is transformed into heat, raising the temperature of the glass.

Different types of Glazing materials:

Regular transparent glass: This type of glazing is considered to be the most common type of glazing used for buildings.  The thickness of this glass ranges from 3-5 mm and has 88-90% visible light penetration. The properties of this glazing material make it ideal for south facing windows.

Double Glazing:

Double Glazing consist of two sheets of glass that contain in air space, gasses, or vacuum.  This type of glazing material has the ability to reduce heat transfer from both conduction and radiation.

Polycarbonate Glazing:

Light penetration of light about 85%, material is considered flexible. This material heats up less than glass and withstands mechanical blows.

http://www.stylepark.com/en/architecture/triple-heat-insulation/313235

http://www.safeglassforschools.com/CMS/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Measuring-the-Benefits-of-Light.pdf

http://www.commercialwindows.org/materials_glazing4.php

http://www.commercialwindows.org/issues_energy1.php

http://www.thenextfix.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/double-glazing.jpg