One of the most noticeable trends in commercial real estate industry in India has been usage of glass for facades of the buildings. Indian cities, especially metros, have mostly glass façade buildings only these days. Glass definitely looks elegant and many of the corporate tenants prefer nice shiny buildings for office spaces. This is another reason real estate developers and architects prefer glass façades as they can ask for higher rents from tenants for their sassier and shinier buildings.
Glass, instead of walls, does provide unobstructed view to the occupants of the building and since glass can be molded and bent into any shape, it is of advantage to the architects and developers in many ways. It has many disadvantages, as well. Here we look at some of the key features of glass as façades of buildings.
Advantages
- It adds to the beauty and panache of a building. Since it can be made translucent or molded in different shapes, it can offer a lot of flexibility to the architect in terms of usage in the building.
- Glass can transmit 75%-80% of the natural light in both the directions, something which no other substitute does. Glass can transmit light without clouding or yellowing.
- The glass is usually weather resistant so it can easily withstand different weather conditions like rains, sun and wind. It does not lose its shape or shine in any weather.
- Glass does not rust so it is better than iron and does not succumb to its surrounding environment conditions.
- It usually has a smooth surface so in a way it is dust-proof. It requires minimal cleaning.
- It is versatile in the sense that when it is combined with laminated or colour sheets, it can offer various looks and appearances.
- It reduces weight on the foundation of the building and makes the building lighter as compared to walls.
- Right kind of glass can reduce energy consumption for the occupants of the building and bring down electricity bills.
- Glass façades require low maintenance and a swift monthly cleaning may be enough most of the time.
- Most glass types are abrasion resistant which means that it will not wear out when rubbed against another material.