Advantages of using glass block for your home

Sound investments for your home

Part window, part wall - glass block has properties that set it apart from all other building materials. While they are most often used in commercial and public buildings, glass blocks and panels can be used to create clear divisions between residential spaces. Suitable for nonstructural interior and exterior applications, glass block can enhance or even define a kitchen, bathroom, laundry room, entryway, breezeway, or other living area.

Control of light and heat

The first environmental benefit of glass block is its transparency. By allowing natural light from the outside in, or between interior rooms, glass block reduces the need for artificial lighting. Natural daylight also helps some people keep their emotional balance, or regulate cycles of waking and sleep.

Unlike sheet glass, however, glass block maintains privacy. Depending on the surface pattern and overall thickness, a window or wall made with glass block can obscure vision without requiring other coverings, such as blinds or curtains.

The styles that provide the greatest privacy, such as those with fibrous glass inserts or thick-faced block, still transmit at least 50 percent of the visible light that strikes them. With solid glass block, 80 percent of the light is transmitted. Flat sheet glass allows 90 percent of light through, but without the many advantages offered by glass block.

Each glass block is made of two halves, containing silica sand, soda ash, and limestone, and poured separately. The halves are combined while hot, and then placed in an oven for annealing - to cool slowly and increase in strength. This creates a partial vacuum within the block, which helps improve insulation and control condensation later on. An edge coating of polyvinyl butyral (PVB) resin allows for expansion and contraction, and helps mortar bond to the glass.

Compared to sheet glass, which has a heat transmission value (U-value) of 1.04, glass block provides far better insulation. Solid glass block has a U-value of 0.87, while standard glass block has a U-value of 0.51.

Another benefit is impermeability. Because glass block is a masonry product, it keeps out all the elements. Correctly sealed, it can provide weather resistance equal or superior to any other material. Where air or water infiltration is a problem, glass block can help you control the indoor atmosphere. This becomes important when you or family members are sensitive to airborne dust and pollen, or when moisture control affects livability.

Insulation is another benefit of using glass block. The space between the two faces provides insulating value comparable to a double-pane window, without any drafts or leaking. This buffering space also minimizes condensation on the surface. Unless glass block is on an exterior wall facing direct exposure to sunlight, it brings both improved control over the interior environment and reduced heating and cooling costs.

One feature every homeowner wants to have, but no one wants to test, is resistance to fire. Glass block is available with fire ratings of 45, 60, or 90 minutes of resistance. Because glass is considered a window material instead of a wall material, though, this rating only affects how well glass block remains intact, and prevents the passage of smoke and fumes, during a fire. If you want to see the details, look for the standards ASTM E-2010 and NFPA 257.

One more thing: Glass block is made using simple processes and common materials, which translates to reduced environmental impact in manufacturing. Glass is made without the use or production of VOCs; it can also be broken down and recycled after use, helping reduce disposal work, landfill volumes, and replacement material costs. Its life cycle impact, one way of measuring environmental effects, is impressively low.

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