The GW-News Glossary

The building envelope is that part of a building that separates the exterior of the building from the interior.

Solar electricity on buildings is mainly generated with roof-mounted photovoltaics. However, a recent trend also sees PV being integrated into the building envelope.

Curtain walls are self-supporting and do not take on any further structural loads. Their substructure is attached to the supporting structure of a building.

In most cases, the cut edges of glass panes are finished by grinding and polishing. Nowadays, this is usually done mechanically with automatic edge grinding machines. The abrasives used are mostly corundum or diamond.

In insulating glazing, the edge seal (more commonly known as the spacer - because it keeps the individual panes of an IG unit apart) consists of aluminium, stainless steel or plastic profiles as well as solid plastic compounds.

Float glass is the most widely used form of glass today and is produced by a process of floating molten glass on a bed of molten metal (usually tin).

Glass is usually cut with a hardened cutting wheel or a diamond in a straight cut. Here, a crack is made in the glass surface with the cutting tool which is then broken directly over an edge.

Insulating glass (IG) consists of two or more glass panes separated by an air or gas-filled space to reduce heat transfer/loss across the windows or doors (in case of glass doors) of the building envelope.

Laminated glass is made of two pieces of regular or tempered glass sandwiched around a layer of clear plastic film (PVB).

Laser cutting for glass is a fabrication process which employs a focused, high-powered laser beam to cut glass into specific shapes and designs.

A mullion-transom facade consists of load-bearing profiles and is based on a construction principle that provides for the installation of all individual components on site. In practice, however, a certain degree of prefabrication is common.

Dirt-repellent and self-cleaning glass is being used more and more frequently in the building industry. Here you will learn more on how it works and what the benefits are.

Tempered glass is a form of glass that has been heat-treated and then cooled rapidly. This makes tempered glass stronger but also safer when it does break.

The U-value assesses the rate of heat loss or gain through all the layers of the combined elements that make up a building component such as a wall, floor or roof.

In multi-pane insulating glass, a warm edge is an edge seal in which the spacer between the panes of glass is made of materials with low thermal conductivity.

Manufactured and constructed according to the current state of the art, wooden windows are very durable building elements with very good structural-physical properties and excellent conditions for thermal insulation.