Glass in sustainable construction – what do you need to know?
Conwy Council Offices, Conwy, United Kingdom. Systems used: MB-SR50N, MB-SR60N
Glass in sustainable construction – what do you need to know?
The production technologies of today make it possible to use glass in a sustainable manner. This means that its production and use in construction have no negative impact on the environment. Moreover, glass facades, interior systems and fire protection systems bring benefits for property developers and the end users of the buildings, because they improve the thermal and sound insulation as well as increase the safety of its users. What should you know about the use of glass in today’s construction industry?
Advantages of glass in construction – an environmental perspective
Glass is one of the most popular building materials. Durable and readily available, it is environmentally friendly because it is chemically inert, recyclable and serves as an excellent insulator, provided that it is appropriately prepared. At the moment, there is no other widely available material with the same set of characteristics.
Recyclability
One of the greatest advantages of glass is that it can be recycled many times. In the era of sustainable construction and a shift towards a circular economy, we pay increasing attention to how a given material was sourced and what recycling opportunities we have, should the building be extended or reconstructed.
Glass can be recycled indefinitely, and even though the energy savings are not as spectacular as in the case of aluminium, we can still reduce waste by recycling glass. We can use glass waste in many ways, such as aggregate in concrete or bituminous materials.
Erskine House, Belfast, United Kingdom. Systems used: MB-SR50N
Excellent insulation properties
The insulation parameters of building materials are a very important aspect of construction around the world, where the energy consumption of industry is quite high. This is why it is necessary to introduce solutions that reduce energy consumption in new and existing facilities.
Historically, glass was not considered to be a good form of insulator. However, since the marketing of low-emissivity glass, the situation of glass in the building industry has changed. Nowadays, modern technologies make it possible to achieve a very good level of insulation performance in term of windows, doors and facade systems.
A great example is the MB-SR50N HI mullion and transom facade by Aluprof, which uses special two-component insulators. Additional elements are made of a flexible material, glued to the sides of the screw and minimising air movement in the space separating the infill of the facade. Large-scale glazing can also be designed in this way.
The Link, Antwerp, Belgium. Systems used: MB-70HI, MB-70HS, MB-SR50N Efekt, MB-SR50N HI+
Advantages of glass – the user’s perspective
For several decades, we have observed the rapid growth of cities. In the EU, 39% of the population lives in cities, and 36% in towns and suburbs.
Since so many people spend almost all of their lives in cities, in enclosed buildings, not connecting with nature or dealing with increasing noise pollution, buildings need to fulfil a new function in order to maintain the well-being of their users – they need to protect them against the adverse effects of high population density. Glass seems to have a lot of potential here.
Letting more light into rooms
Most people who live in cities spend too little time in natural light. It is estimated that the average person living in a developed country spends between 80 and 90% of the day indoors. Medical studies show that the absence of natural light reduces the levels of dopamine, responsible for our sense of contentment, and can impair our vision, have a negative effect on sleep and raise blood pressure.
Moreover, research in offices has shown that spaces with large glazing, where employees have access to natural light, foster productivity.
‘Large glazing is not an architectural fad, it is a necessity given modern lifestyle. It can hardly be expected that we will all suddenly go back to living in nature, so we need to adapt our surroundings in a way that suits our natural needs as much as possible,' said Emmanuel Gregoire, Managing Director of Aluprof Belgium NV.
Office Building Phoenix, Brussels, Belgium. Systems used:
Durability and safety
Legislation that makes smoke and carbon monoxide detectors mandatory in residential premises came into force in December 2024. Such safeguards are also required in commercial buildings, but in the event of an actual fire, it is the design solutions that determine whether people are able to leave the building safely.
‘In Glassprof products we use a special radiation-resistant that crystallises in the event of a fire. This ensures that the users of the building remain safe, because the glass does not break or splinter when exposed to heat. Instead, it turns into a barrier that restricts the flow of smoke and temperature, giving people the time to evacuate,’ said Emmanuel Gregoire.
Google Campus, Dublin, Ireland. Systems used: MB-SR50N
Reducing noise pollution
In 2024, as many as 282,800 people living in Polish cities with population over 100,000 were exposed to noise levels above applicable standards. But this is a problem throughout Europe. Noise pollution has a real impact on people’s health and life, shortening people’s lives due to the stress caused by prolonged and excessive noise, which is a risk factor leading to cardiovascular diseases and metabolic disorders.
Green spaces and reforestation cannot completely solve this problem, because even though the results are pleasing to the eye, the effectiveness is not great. It would take a dense, 10-metre wide forest to reduce noise levels by just 10 dB. Here glass can come to the rescue, both as a facade material and as room dividers, actively contributing to noise reduction.
Internal glass walls, such as the MB-Harmony Office system by Aluprof, meet increased acoustic requirements by providing insulation levels of Rw 48 dB/ Ra1 46 dB.
System: MB-Harmony Office
Let’s Build a Better Future
Construction market forecasts confirm that the share of glass in the construction industry will continue to grow. This applies to both insulating and fireproof glass, with an estimated growth of 3.5% by 2025. This trend confirms that the construction industry has already recognised the benefits of using a material which is environmentally friendly, thanks to its recyclability and insulation parameters, and which supports people’s well-being by providing access to natural light and protecting against noise. This is why it is worth promoting its use in both commercial and private construction.