Tag: glass windows

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3 Things to Consider While Choosing Windows for Bathrooms

The bathroom in your home should be the one place you feel completely relaxed and at peace with yourself. It is in the process of taking a shower or soaking in a bath that we allow the stress and madding pace of the day to fall away. The interiors of a bathroom should reflect this need for warmth, peace, and privacy. The windows of the bathroom are quite different in their function from the windows used elsewhere. Let us look at the 3 important things to consider when choosing windows for bathrooms –
Privacy
In a country like India where apartments and buildings are built close together, privacy is a real concern. We tend to combat this with the use of curtains or drapes but the high moisture content inside the bathroom leaves them limp and moist all the time. Cleaning becomes an issue as well. Our frosted glass windows come in as the perfect solution to such a concern. These allow ample light to enter the bathroom without being transparent.

Humidity
It goes without saying that the humidity levels of the bathroom are perhaps the highest. These make the bathrooms difficult to clean and susceptible to mould attacks. Removing moulds from window frames is a huge concern for home owners as well. It is best to opt for uPVC windows for bathrooms. These are resistant to rust, water damage, and stains. Also, they can be customized to fit the size and shape of your bathroom and look very attractive as well.
Size
In India, most bathroom windows are quite small. This is often due to the high need for privacy. However, it means that the need for customizing windows is high as well. Again, unlike windows of other rooms, outward opening or inward opening windows take up too much of space making them ill efficient. For this challenge too, uPVC windows come up as the best solution. These can be customised according to the size and the sliding designs are perfect space savers.
Choosing the perfect bathroom window is always a fine balancing act between aesthetics, privacy, and functionality. Getting it right is the key to designing a great bathroom space.

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Here’s the Simplest Way of Determining the Energy Efficiency of Your Building

Times are changing, and so is the environment consciousness level of people. Today, when it comes to architecture and interior design, the facet of energy efficiency is taking a front seat. Home and office owners are beginning to imagine and create functional, future-proof and environment-proof spaces that do not have a high dependency on artificial energy. And, in their mission to reduce the carbon footprint of their buildings, glass plays a huge role since doors, windows and facades are the primary barriers separating the external environment from the internal environment.

Now, the first step towards making your building energy efficient lies in determining its present efficiency. Only then will you be able to select the right glass glazing in accordance with the results of your building’s energy efficiency determination. So, how does a layman do it?
You might imagine that calculating something such as energy efficiency is beyond your expertise and well within the grasp of only a professional architect, engineer, builder, or an interior designer. Yet, there’s an easier, quicker and extremely reliable way out – carrying out a virtual simulation of your building in the palm of your hands.
Being one of the most innovative glass manufacturers and glass suppliers in the country, AIS also offers an interesting portfolio of architectural mobile applications helpful to the layman. One of them is the AIS Glass Simulator – an app that lets you analyse your building for energy efficiency based on a wide range of parameters. Moreover, the app also recommends the best-suited high-performance glass products from AIS’ extensive portfolio depending upon the analysis of your building.
Easy, right?
With such an innovative application on your phone, you can take an informed decision about choosing the right glass glazing for your home or new project by carrying out a quick simulation anywhere, anytime. All you need to do is input a few details about your building, such as location, shape, orientation, wind-load, etc. On the basis of these parameters, the app will scrutinize your building to create an energy performance profile while also suggesting the most apt glass solution to turn your building energy efficient.
Add to that the extensive Product Catalog with different glass types manufactured by AIS and their details, along with a Project Showcase which features many buildings and projects from all over the country which have different AIS glazing installed, and you have the complete package on your fingertips.
Here are all the benefits of the app in brief:
• Easily analyse your building’s energy performance
• Get an intelligent analysis report
• Save time, energy and money spent on finding the right glazing
• Discover the entire high performance energy efficient glass range by AIS – AIS Ecosense
• Visualize how your chosen glass solution will look in real life
Easy-to-use, informative and helpful! Who knew energy simulation of a building could be this fun?

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Tackling Common Glass Window and Door Issues in Winter

In India, most parts of the country, that is, the season of winter usually comes as a relief. With the long, scorching summer heat giving way to cooler climes, shorter days and cosy afternoons, winters are usually very well received all over the country. Yet, such a change in the season and the weather is not without its own set of complications, especially for your glass doors and windows.

Bear in mind that glass, aluminium, wood, and uPVC are merely materials that respond to changes in the external environment – temperature being a huge factor. Most materials compress and shrink in the cold, and there is also the issue of dew and condensation that accompanies chilly temperatures. Therefore, preparing your glass window or door before-hand will go a long way in ensuring their longevity and performance during the winters.
Let’s take a look at a few common issues that might plague your glass door or window in the cold, and how you can tackle them expertly:

  1. Condensation

Condensation mainly arises due to a drastic temperature difference around a particular surface. In winters, while the external environment is often cold and dry, our home and office interiors run on conditioned air which is usually warm and, thus, humid. This temperature difference leads to condensation on the surface of the cold window and door glass, thus fogging your view. While some condensation is absolutely normal, if you notice persisting condensation for long periods or some moisture in your window glazing, then it means that moisture might have entered your glass by way of some gap or leakage. This can hamper the insulation of your home. We recommend getting your windows and doors checked for gaps and weather insulation before winter reaches its height.

  1. Leakages

Building on from the previous point, leakages and gaps in your glass door and window can also create drafts, or passages for air flow from outside to inside. If cold air leaks inside your home from the outside, then your home’s energy efficiency and comfort can be compromised. Such drafts are usually signs of old, non-insulating glass which you can replace easily with modern energy-efficient glass and insulated glass units.

  1. Insulation

Apart from cold air, the inability of your door or window glass to retain internal heat can lead to massive heat loss. Such an insulation problem is directly opposite to the one faced by buildings in summer when the desired functionality from glass doors and windows is reflecting solar heat. You can tackle this situation by installing retrofitted insulating glass in over your existing glass doors and windows.

  1. Moisture and rotting

Finally, condensation can also occur on the frames of doors and windows, thus causing deterioration. Humid and warm internal climate during winters can also contribute to moisture entering your old window and door frames, especially if they are made from old wood. The solution for you could be switching to weather- resistant uPVC doors and windows. uPVC is a modern framing material that does not rot or get affected by temperature and climate changes, thus keeping your doors and windows in the healthiest state possible throughout the year.
Take note of the above-mentioned issues and tackle them swiftly for happy winters – both for you and your glass windows and doors!

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Make Your Retail Store More Secure With These 2 Window Glass Types

In the present scenario, where competition is cut-throat, brands often find themselves in a rat-race to make their presence felt. This they can very well achieve by making their outlets aesthetically appealing. But with aesthetics, security too plays an important role.

Sometimes a pane of glass is the only thing standing between a burglar and your valuable inventory. Upgrading the security of your store is very much achievable by adding security features to your glass. Owing to the new construction techniques and value additions, glass today isn’t fragile. It has many advanced features to ensure strength, durability and sturdiness to fulfill safety requisites in retail outlets.

  • High- Grade Tempered Glass-

Tempered glasses are always stronger and safer. Hence, they are less resistant to breakage. Although, like clear glasses, they are also scratch resistant and can withstand normal wear and tear. But the major difference lies when they are subject to force. While a regular clear glass shatters in such a scenario, tempered glass is extremely tough and impact resistant. Even when the tempered glass does break down, it does so in the form of granules, thus reducing chances of injury inside your store. Therefore, they make for a great option to secure your displays and cabinets.

  • Laminated Glasses-

When we talk about burglary, laminated glass is always the first choice. The three layered structure of laminated glasses (the middle layer being usually a polyvinyl butyral interlayer which acts like a glue) makes them strong enough to resist penetration and gives you the ability to see more without compromising on the safety factor. Owing to its strength and other safety features, laminated glass is used in a number of applications, most typically for your storefront, facades and windows. High-grade laminated glass typically offers:

  • Protection against broken glass or forced entry
  • Bullet resistance

When used in the retail sector, breaking into the building with laminated glass isn’t that easy, usually involving a lot of efforts, a lot of time and a lot of noise. Hence, the use of laminated glass as a security feature has increased over the past few years. It also offers noise protection in noisy areas and areas involving a lot of traffic. In case of breakage, laminated glass tends to remain in its frame and hence minimizes the risk of injury. This is because of the interlayer which is made up of polyvinyl butyral ( PVB) or ethylene-vinyl acetate(EVA) that holds the pane in place. The chances of attracting the customers to your store increases significantly when you have security glasses to enhance the safety of your retail outlet.
Hence, out of all the window glass types, tempered and laminated are the ones that can enhance the safety feature of your retail outlet

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Breathing Life Back into an Old Office Building: A Case Study on Retrofitting Glass

Architecture, today, is exceeding the limits of imagination with the help of science and technology. Where once glass was a mere brittle material for windows now lies a plethora of possibilities in manufacturing and processing extremely functional glass for sound reduction, security, privacy, aesthetics, and most importantly, heat reduction. But the buck doesn’t stop here.
It is also possible to optimize the dysfunctional glass systems of existing and functioning buildings with a special variant of glass such as the AIS Renew which completely transforms the energy consumption scenario of the space. Retrofitting buildings is a specialty at AIS, and it is precisely what we achieved for the 6-storied office building which is the focus of our case study.
Problem
It is no doubt that solar and thermal control glass products are any architect’s go-to solutions for creating an energy efficient space. And energy efficiency is the primary requirement of an office where creating the most comfortable and sustainable environment for employees is paramount for productivity.
A six-storied office building featuring glazed windows prominently was facing issues due to increased energy consumption. The requirement was to convert the windows into more energy efficient envelopes, thus enabling visual and thermal comfort. However, converting an old/existing building built with a low performance glass by the traditional method of pulling down the existing glass façade and building afresh is very expensive.
Solution

In order to tackle this problem without disturbing and interfering with the day-to-day functioning of the building, the AIS technical team proposed our retrofitting solution, AIS Renew, as part of the AIS 4G solutions. AIS Renew is a unique product which is attached on top of an existing glass window and converts it into an energy saving insulated glass window – all in no time at all.
In order to do this, a particular AIS Renew glass model (Ecosense Exceed as mentioned in the table above) was compared against pared with clear 6 mm glass used in the existing building. An analysis was done on the basis of shade, visible light transmission, solar heat gain coefficient, and U-value.
Further, a building-specific climate simulation was also performed for the existing glass and AIS Renew glass. The results of this analysis are mentioned below.

Results

As is clear from the reference table, AIS Renew with Ecosense Exceed performed better than the clear single glazed units and double glazed units in terms of cooling energy reduction ratio % and radiant temperature.  In brief, selecting AIS Renew for retrofitting would result in:

  1. Reduced solar gain in summer thereby reaching the set temperature sooner, thus reducing the load on AC operation.
  2. Insulation of the building against heat due to its lower U-value by influencing long wave infrared radiation while keeping the space cool in summer and warm in winter.
  3. A shorter payback period compared to extra glass cost which would have been used for replacement.

Thus, with a thoroughly scientific analysis of the retrofit, glass manufacturers like AIS ensure the most ideal retrofitting glass solution for your office building, resulting in substantial energy, cost and time savings.

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Let There Be Light – Why Natural Lighting Still Matters

It’s said that there is no better lighting than sunlight. This has been known since medieval times, as is evident in the large windows of forts and castles of old. Today, entire buildings are made up of energy efficient glass in order to maximize natural lighting inside while also keeping the discomforting heat at bay.
Thus, even technology has become proficient enough to mimic the natural lighting through artificial means, as is the rage these days in many modern buildings, filtered natural sunlight remains ever so popular – all thanks to innovations in glass.
But why is natural lighting important?

  1. Better health

We have all studied in school how daylight is a vital source of Vitamin D. Given we spend more than 80% of our lives indoors, it is increasingly important to allow natural sunlight to reach us within our confines. Daylight improves recovery, sets the circadian rhythm and body clock, elevates the mood, and also improves attentiveness. Therefore, having large glass windows and facades is so important in homes and offices.

  1. Better comfort

So, while proliferation of adequate sunlight is crucial, for comfort, it is important to cut down on the thermal effects of this lighting. Thus, specialized heat reflective glass windows or retrofitted energy efficient glass in old windows help create a cool and comfortable environment for the occupants without cutting down on natural lighting. This way, glare can also be reduced for creating an undisturbed, serene ambience.

  1. Better environment

This is the era of green buildings, thanks to our society becoming more environment conscious. Energy efficient glass such as AIS Ecosense works towards reducing the building’s dependency on artificial lighting or cooling methods, thus invariably leading to reduced energy consumption. The more natural light inside the building, the greener it is.

  1. Better money savings

Taking heed of all the above points, it is easy to conclude that by allowing more natural lighting inside buildings through glass windows and facades, electricity bills can be brought down significantly. Merely tempered glass windows will not do in this case, as architects would tell you.
These far reaching benefits of natural lighting in our lives therefore point towards the rising popularity of green architecture. As homeowners and office-owners, we have the power to push our architects to construct, design or redesign our buildings in such a way that they maximize daylight and visibility while minimizing discomfort and energy consumption. In achieving so, glass windows and other applications like facades and skylights play an indispensible role.

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AIS Swytchglas in Offices: Bolstering Privacy & Productivity

An office space needs to have an energy that keeps you positive and your productivity up. Privacy is also a concern for many who feel that that a quiet, interrupted environment suits their working style. So, how can one inculcate elements of privacy in a commercial space like an office where airiness and ventilation are conducive for a positive environment?
The answer lies in installing smart glass solutions for your office. Glass has always been a popular addition to offices around the globe, often replacing walls and whiteboards in many spaces. The latest technology is focused on improving the functional aesthetics of the glass with energy-efficient and sound-proofing leading the pack. Another technological marvel is the invention of switchable glass that can transform from a transparent glass to an opaque one in a matter of seconds.

AIS Swytchglas is one such example. Made with polymer dispersed crystals (PDC), the glass can switch from transparent to translucent and vice-versa, at the press of a button. When the power supply associated with the glass is switched off, the crystals are randomly scattered, deeming the glass opaque and creating the desired private ambiance. When one “switches” the glass on, the current makes the crystals reorient themselves, making the glass transparent, inviting more light and providing spatial illusion to the surroundings.
Associated benefits with this glass are plenty, the biggest one being that it gives you your privacy without creating a claustrophobic environment. The transparent glass wall also creates the illusion of an increased space and imparts a contemporary vibe to the interiors. An ideal addition to conference rooms, private cabins or hall partitions, the glass can be turned off when private conversations or meetings need to be held, and turned on when one needs the interiors to be more illuminated.
Another function of this glass is doubling up as a rear projection screen for presentations or videos, the smooth surface justifying sharp clarity for projected visuals. This smart glass can also be an efficient window glass with the translucent to opaque window providing sufficient light, and thus eliminating the need for installing curtains or blinders on the window. Instant sunshine or instant shade can now be controlled with a remote.
The combination of such functionalities and clean aesthetics is a rarity in the world, making a switchable glass like Swytchglas extremely desirable for office spaces. This glass has made it easier to attune the aesthetics of the working environment as per personal preferences at any time or day.

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4 Precautions to Take With Your Car's Side Windows

There are many different window glass types such as laminated and tempered glass which are used in automotive glass installations. While windshields, which represent the most important glass installation in a car, are made from laminated glass, side windows are constructed from tempered glass. Many people prioritise windshield maintenance and repair for their cars, but that doesn’t mean that they neglect the side windows.

Unlike annealed and laminated glass, good quality tempered glass, such as Temperlite-LT by AIS Glass, breaks away into tiny pebble-like pieces that are harmless and powdery in nature. This property ensures that the passengers and the drivers remain uninjured in case the side windows get shattered. While tempered glass does make the side windows strong and durable, there are many precautions you need to take in order to ensure that it does not get damaged beyond repair.
Here are four things to keep in mind so as to ensure safe working car glass windows:

  1. Do not delay repair

From time to time, it is important to inspect the condition of your car windows. This becomes extremely important in the aftermath of an accident which might have caused some damage to the structure of the car. Even if your windows have a small crack, a minor chip or a scratch, do not assume that it is harmless. These damages have a habit of exacerbating over time while also weakening the glass, thus putting you and other passengers in danger the next time an accident occurs. Therefore, always get the windows repaired quickly by the experts in your vicinity. 

  1. Do not slam the car doors violently

Yes, slamming the car doors time and time again can lead to damaged side windows. One has to understand that these sudden closing of the doors with force generate vibrations inside the car. If they occur with high frequency, then there is a chance that some integral structural damage might occur to the window installation or the windows might loosen. It is best to be gentle and mannerly while shutting the car door. 

  1. Do not use ammonia-based cleaning agents

It is important to know the right type of cleaning agents for your car windows. Ammonia-based agents are usually used in architectural glass inside homes and buildings, and can damage the tint of the car windows. Also, while cleaning car windows, use a clean cloth or microfiber towel so as to avoid leaving damaging streaks. 

  1. Do not expose car windows to long periods of intense, direct sunlight

Long exposure to harsh heat and sunlight causes UV ray damage to car windows, thereby decreasing their lifespan and also affecting the structural integrity of your car. Always try to park your car in the shade, a garage or with a protective cover.

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