Design glass covers, materials and solutions

Design glass covers in different materials and solutions are perfect when we want to isolate spaces from the outside without sacrificing the presence of natural light.

In fact, the glass roofs give the rooms the perception of a communication with the outside, even if it does not actually exist.

They respond to the contemporary needs of architecture and design that pay particular attention to the role of natural lighting to create captivating and comfortable living contexts.

Skylights, verandas, curtain walls, walkable roofs, stairs, walkways represent the many design glass roofing solutions.

Thus the fragility of glass is transformed into solid and resistant structures, which become distinctive features of the buildings they belong to. Materials such as wood, stainless steel, bronze combine with the transparency of the glass surfaces, creating original architectural effects.

Lightness and brightness become design elements.

We can classify glass roofs in two groups:

• horizontal;
• vertical.

The former include covers for skylights and glass floors. The second, sliding glass doors, structural glass facades and glass load-bearing structures.

The two solutions merge into a single one in the case of glass veranda covers.

Panoramic glass covers, materials

Panoramic glass covers require resistant materials, which perform the function of load-bearing structures.

Since it is able to maintain the optimal temperature in the rooms, selective glass is one of the most used for panoramic glass roofs. In fact, it filters solar radiation by letting light pass through, but not heat. Vice versa, it retains internal heat, preventing its dispersion. For this reason, the highly energy-efficient selective glasses bring considerable evidence on bills and have a lower impact on the environment.

To favor natural interior lighting, it is important to prefer selective glass with a low solar factor, which allows natural light to pass through the glass surfaces and radiate the interior spaces.

No less important is the structure of the panoramic roofs.

The commonly used materials are:

• stainless steel;
• wood;
• glass.

Their choice depends on several factors.

Bronze and stainless steel are functional for light and minimal panoramic roofs. The solidity of these materials supports even very large glass surfaces, installed with point fixing, on a frame or even on a tensile structure.

Wooden ones have a good load resistance, but due to the important dimensions of the profiles, it clearly reduces the glazed surface.

Even the glass itself can have a load-bearing function, creating panoramic glass covers with a light and attractive aesthetic. Glass beams or stiles support glass covers with a unique design, creating light effects and transparency.

The choice of materials that support the glazed surface depends on several factors, related to the intended use, the client’s budget, the position and location of the building for which the panoramic roofs are intended. In fact, the materials of windows and doors, together with the type of glass used, offer products with different characteristics for:

• thermal insulation;
• sound absorption;
• safety;
• capacity;
• load;
• lighting.

In addition, the extension of the coverage and the thickness of the glass require frames in different materials.

Given the complexity of the product, we recommend always relying on experts in the sector, able to work on the project by customizing and optimizing materials and related costs.

Glass verandas solutions

We want to focus now on glass verandas, that is one of the most common solutions.

In many solutions, for terraces, balconies or even porches, they transform open spaces into protected and naturally bright environments.

They can have doors or be completely closed, but still let natural light through. They embellish attics, gardens, private and public arcades.

Glass verandas are luxury architectural solutions that valuable buildings deserve.

Let’s take an austere-looking building such as the Presidential Palace of Tbilisi in Georgia and note the important presence of two verandas designed by Capoferri to lighten the facade and create a wide visual communication with the outside.

Instead, minimal verandas define the spaces of the terrace created for the Milan Triennale with vertical doors and slightly inclined roof, all made of stratified and tempered low-emission glass.

The veranda is not just for prestigious buildings. Any house with a terrace, balcony, loggia can boast beautiful verandas through which you can create new, bright and more or less spacious environments, according to the available surface.

The veranda is suitable for a small office, a guest or reading room or a private winter garden in which to organize lunches and dinners with friends.

The glass chosen and the supporting structure play a decisive role in the living comfort of the verandas

The ability of the glass to maintain a pleasant internal temperature without great energy expenditure is just as important as an excellent passage of sunlight.

Glass covers how to design them

If you want to know how to design glass covers, you have to rely on the expertise of companies that, like Capoferri, are able to follow the project from design to installation, customizing it according to the needs of the building and the customer.

Glass covers and verandas must be made taking into consideration numerous factors that determine the creation of efficient and refined windows.

Wooden, metal or completely glazed, they require a custom construction and the choice of suitable materials.

First of all, the choice of glass, which must possess fundamental requisites:

• thermal efficiency;

• sound absorption;

• transparency,

• safety.

The maintenance of internal temperatures is mostly entrusted to selective low solar factor glasses, a solution chosen to avoid overheating of the rooms.

If necessary for thermal or aesthetic needs, it may be useful to design glass covers with filtering curtains or sunshades in metal or wood with an adjustable or stackable mechanism.

Precisely the importance of the result of ambitious projects on which home comfort depends, requires the study and manpower of companies with extensive experience, able to model the product with creativity and professionalism. Technical expertise allows the use of cutting-edge materials and the application of treatments to strengthen the glass without depriving it of elasticity and malleability, ensuring high-level and unique results.