A large glass masonry facade: A study about the structural and thermal performance of large glass masonry façade

There are already lot of glass structures, even facades made by glass bricks. However, the use of solid cast glass bricks glued with a transparent UV cured adhesive is first utilized in the façade of the Crystal House in P.C. Hooftstraat in Amsterdam. This book is an attempt of exploring the structural and thermal potentials of this new technology, by studying them in a bigger scale. It provides, firstly, important information about the material glass, its properties and the construction of the structural glass block wall. It follows the architecture of the exterior and interior and the structural integrity of the whole system using both FEM and laboratory tests. The most crucial details of the whole design are illustrated in 3D. Finally, the thermal performance, using an energy plus simulation tool is elaborated for three different climate zones (Amsterdam, Valencia, Tampere). This research should help shed some light on the potentials of this innovative and exciting technology and should be especially useful to architects, civil engineers, mechanical engineers, interior designers and of course any designers or technicians that desire to broad their knowledge on glass structures.