Radiant Glass Window Systems
Radiant Glass Window Systems
The concept of minimalist architecture is to strip everything down to its essential quality, to achieve simplicity of design. The expanded use of large windows and external doors maximizes natural light and visually opens up the space between interior and the exterior. However, it can come with a cost such as a conflict with energy conservation,thermal comfort and the efficiency of the heating system.
IQ Radiant Glass™Window Systems bring an entire new dimension to the architect’s goal of balancing the relationship between the inhabitants, the setting, and the building.The unique quality of IQ Radiant Glass™is that it not only supports the design but also provides an invisible heating system from the glass itself. The open design comes with a totally new function, thermal comfort. The thermal efficiency of the building’s envelope achieves thermal efficiency levels previously unheard of for traditional windows and glass doors. Gone is the cold glow, cold drafts and unwanted condensation common to ordinary glass. Remarkably, instead of losing heat, the windows generate heat.
The use of IQ Radiant Glass™provides a new tool for the architect to meet the aesthetic goals set with the client without sacrificing thermal comfort, building efficiency and security.
This video provides some insight into designing and building with radiant heated glass.
Preserving archaeological discoveries requires as much care as unearthing them
The army of terra cotta soldiers uncovered at Xi'an, China, is a wonder to behold but shows the dangers of poor conservation arrangements. After several years of public display and exposure to air, the terra cotta is drying out and the figures are crumbling. The curators cannot reverse the deterioration and many now regret the original excavations.
Leaving discoveries in situ now appears more and more attractive to archaeologists. But this approach brings its own problems. Isolated sites may not benefit from the specialized buildings and on-site expertise that museums have and each case is different.
Milan Kovač, a Slovene-Swedish architect, has spent most of his working life developing techniques and technology which can preserve ancient objects and monuments in near perfect condition at their site of discovery. He led the Swedish and Slovenien project partners in the EUROCARE ARCH IN-SITU project aimed at developing techniques to assess the needs of different sites and find customized solutions to the individual problems.
Saving the past and the role of IQ radiant heating glass systems in preserving archaeological artifacts safely at the site where they were discovered
The project brought together an array of experts including archaeologists, lighting engineers, materials scientists and microbiologists to tackle problems ranging from climate and weather through pollutants such as acid rain to careless tourists.
One of the outcomes has been a better understanding of how to design protection shields using multilayer heated glass to cover the site of the discoveries, in combination with careful ventilation and light filtering. The construction supporting the glass plays a key role in stabilizing the area and protecting it against vibrations.
Protected by glazing with Radiant Heated Glass
Laminated glass plays an essential role as it can be partly load-bearing where support for the artifacts is necessary. The glass is usually thermo-glazed and contains a clear transparent metal coating that, when connected to an electrical supply, gives out just enough heat to counteract the effects of condensation. Careful adjustments are made to ensure that no heat is reflected towards the artifact and air-cooling and ventilation keep stable the temperature and humidity within the preservation chamber.
This expertise has now been deployed at Crnomelj in Slovenia
Work on a new building there uncovered the remains of an Iron Age settlement, a Roman defense wall and tower and a medieval settlement with two city walls. Kovač's team has redesigned the original plans for the building so that construction has continued on the upper floors, leaving the ground floor and basement as a museum. The excavated flooring has been preserved by a glazed and sealed floor and the basement walls are also protected by extensive glazing. Artifacts found on the site are displayed where they were found during the excavation. The technique has also been used for the in-situ protection of Robba's fountain in Ljubljana.
"In the future, we hope to be able to set up a team of glass producers, heating and lighting companies and consultants, to advise and set up preservation projects all over the world. We want to help save the heritage of future generations," says Kovač.
How Effective is IQ Radiant Glass?
With a triple glazed configuration, IQ Radiant Glass will provide thermal comfort down
to
-40º F.
On the British Television series, Grand Designs, they performed a demonstration to push the glass to the limit. Normally IQ Glass is heat treated for additional strength. In this video, using non heat treated glass, they pushed the temperature to an astonishing - 45º F degrees before the aluminum frame shrunk so much from the cold that it cracked the glass!
The measured temperature on the interior never went below the comfort range and the measured temperature an the cold exterior demonstrated the minimal losses to the outside using the IQ Radiant Glass System. Notice on one part of the video where the Presenter has his bare foot up on the glass. The system is about 90% efficient in redirecting the heat at the proper radiant range to the interior.
IQ radiant Glass is truly an amazing product of innovation.
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