Useful Information about Architectural Glazing

The world of architectural glazing and technologies can be a tricky one for non-building professionals to navigate. Glazing is highly technical in general and when selecting glass installations to be used in your home you want to make sure that you are making the right choices. We sat down with one of our most experienced technical experts, Chris Walker, to ask him what questions a homeowner must ask when buying architectural glazing.

IQ Glass work on some of the UK's most demanding building sites, contending with difficult locations, large glazing panels and highly bespoke installations. Despite all the technicalities of our manufacturing and installation process, we are still one of the most efficient and highly rated glaziers in the UK. This is thanks to our robust design and contracts management process which has been perfected and honed over our many years of business.

A certain element of visual distortion is accepted in glass manufacturing. The glasses that 'processed', such as toughened glass, go through additional manufacturing. The glasses that are 'processed', such as toughened glass, go through additional manufacturing processes which can change the visual appearance of the glazing.

Heating float glass creates soft pliable glass which is then rapidly cooled to create heat-strengthened or toughened glass. Unfortunately, this process can create forms of optical distortion in the surface of the glass. Roller wave is a common form of this optical distortion. Roller wave is caused during the heating process as the glass sags slightly when being transported through the furnace between the carrier rolls used.

Nickel Sulphide Inclusion is a naturally occurring phenomenon in glass. Impurities can still be contained in the glass pane after its manufacture and toughening processes. Small particles of Nickel Sulphide can still be present in the glass at installation. Visually you will not be able to see these tiny particles of metal but they can still be present in the glass, benign until they are aggravated.

Many homeowners are attracted to the idea of installing minimal windows or Frameless Structural Glass. If you decide you'd like to make these sorts of improvements to your home, you need to note that installing minimalistic glass will affect your home insurance. However, that need not present you with problems. You can make the changes you want and still get the insurance cover you need!

When working with IQ Glass, each client will receive an operation and maintenance manual to allow them to understand the process of the work as well as how to maintain the glazing after the installation has been completed. Information on the warranty periods and warranty conditions are also included in this manual.

The manual will include a scope of works which allows our clients to see exactly what is being installed, technical information so that they have a better understanding of the health and safety risks within the design, the ongoing maintenance, warranty and a directory of suppliers and manufacturers.

Specialist items of any kind carry a longer lead time than standard, off the shelf items. All of IQ's architectural glass products are made to order to suit each design specification and application.

The lead times for our most popular architectural and structural glass solutions are as follows...