Sustainability of glass in construction

This chapter discusses the potential applications of glass to deliver dynamic design solutions that enable buildings to be more energy efficient by making use of the most of daylight and solar gain whilst protecting the environment and conserving energy. The article also provides an overview of recent advances in modern glass products, and their potential applications in building envelops that can engineer reductions in the operational carbon. Glass is a brittle material, and its structural behaviour poses greater challenges when designing load-bearing structural members in buildings envelops. An overview of existing design guidelines of structural glass together with the need for detailed finite element analyses in accurate designs are briefly presented. The sustainability of glass as a construction material, including methods of recycle and reuse, is discussed. An outline of possible future developments in the use of glass in buildings is also presented.