What is Commercial Glazing?
You may not realise but there are a wide variety of commercial glazing examples surrounding you in civil and commercial areas. A couple of common examples include the drive-thru window at your local McDonalds or a shopfront window.
Sydney Commercial glazing is an important factor in the functionality and design of these windows. To simply explain, commercial glazing is glazing that is used on commercial buildings and almost every commercial building needs it! In contrast residential glazing includes glazing on residential properties like window panes and doors on your home.
When Sydney glass is installed in residential or commercial markets the needs and priorities are vastly different. As stated, most residential buildings use glass for their windows, doors, sunrooms and skylights. However, in commercial buildings glass is commonly used in large proportions to fill vacant wall space. As the scale and the size of a majority of commercial properties are much bigger than residential properties, a special commercial glazing process is required. The type and quantity of glass required will be different as will the installation and the glazing procedure.
Commercial projects require glazers that have had in depth training, tools, materials and safety equipment. If there is a curtain wall that needs to be installed scaffolding or other safety measures may have to be used to complete the installation in a safe manner.
The Applications Of Commercial Glazing
Commercial glazing Sydney is not just used outdoors, but is also used indoors and there are a wide variety of applications that you may not expect. Commercial glazing can be installed to improve the aesthetics and functionality of the building, or, a combination of both!
Commercial glass interior applications most commonly include office venues made with glass walls, doors and interior foyers. Another interior application with commercial structures includes the use of custom glass and mirrors. Commercial glass exterior applications most commonly involve storefronts, curtainwall systems, display windows. These provide the entire exterior of the commercial building to have an extravagant finish. Curtainwall glass does not carry the the weight of the roof and therefor needs specific engineering to be correctly designed and installed for the commercial structure.
Here is a more extensive list of common Sydney interior and exterior applications.
Commercial Glazing Interior Applications:
– Custom Mirrors
– Custom Glass
– Furniture
– Railings
– Shelving
– Door Closures
– Flooring
– Skylights
– Acoustic Glass
– Glass Floors
Commercial Glazing Exterior Applications:
– Storefront Glass
– Windows
– Security Glass
– Curtain Glass
– Security Glass
– Entrance Door
– Solar Panels
– Teller Windows
– Atriums
The Benefits Of Commercial Glazing
Commercial glazing has a variety of benefits for commercial buildings. Most commercial buildings are installed with walls and windows made out of glass that has particular solar glazing to decrease solar heat gain. This specific type of glazing is great for limited energy spending. Double and triple glazing is also beneficial in commercial buildings. Double and Triple glazing is less common but is starting to gain traction in residential buildings. Commercial glazing is beneficial as it provides excellent thermal performance as well as enhanced acoustics.
Commercial glazing is a great option to create natural light in areas where many people are occupying for long periods of times such as office spaces. The thermal insulation that this glazing offers is also beneficial for these areas. Buildings that have substantial insulation through commercial Sydney glazing have reduced cooling costs during the summer months and reduced heating costs during the winter months. This generally is not cost effective for residential buildings, however, it can be great to reduce the maintenance and operation costs for office buildings, medical centres or supermarkets.
Materials for Commercial Glazing
Glass is obviously the first material that comes to mind when thinking of glazing. When glass is used for glazing, it is quite often double or triple glazed to provided additional benefits like thermal performance and acoustic insulating properties. Double glazing includes the process of using two glass window panes (or three for triple glazing), that are separated by space to reduce the heat transfer.
Despite this, there has recently been a rise in plastic sheeting. Generally, commercial glazing industry experts use different types of acrylic and polycarbonate setting for commercial glazing applications. Choosing plastic sheeting for glazing applications provides improved performance, cost and energy savings. There are different plastic types and they provide various benefits.
The Benefits of Acrylic Plexiglass for Commercial Glazing
This Acrylic sheeting can be up to 50 times stronger than glass and is beneficially half the weight. This therefore makes installation a lot easier and improves performance overall. Simply put, the lighter the materials weighs, the easier it is to handle, allows for cheaper shipping and handling costs. The acrylic sheets are naturally UV stable, allowing for a perfect optical view that can be used as the best substitute for regular glass. This clear acrylic sheeting is ideal for commercial Sydney glazing. Acrylic AR2 scratch-resitant sheeting is also a great modified alternative for areas that have high-traffic.
The Benefits of Polycarbonate Sheets for Commercial Glazing
Polycarbonate is rapidly starting to be the most popular option for commercial glazing as it has exceptional impact resistance and is shatter resistant. It is even stronger than acrylic sheeting, and is almost 100 times stronger than glass. Similarly to acyclic sheeting, it is also extremely light weight. However, unlike acrylic sheeting, these polycarbonate sheets are not naturally UV stable. Despite this, you can add an extra layer of protection to one side of the sheeting to provide extended longevity when the sheet is exposed to the sun. As polycarbonate plastic is becoming a popular choice for commercial Sydney glazing due to its strength, there are a variety of modified polycarbonate sheets that are used in glazing such as:
– Bullet-Resistant Polycarbonate
– Polycarbonate AR2
– Trupoly SL Polycarbonate
– Multiwall Polycarbonate
About Complete Glass –
Complete Glass has been delivering premium glazing solutions to Sydney for over 10+ years! Starting out in Western Sydney, we quickly grew and begun servicing the inner West and then central Sydney. Our commitment to quality finishes, professional craftsmanship and friendly service has seen our business grow rapidly in the past five years. We would love to hear from you and help with any glazing project you may have in mind. Please do not hesitate to get in touch with us via 1300 147 247 or alternatively you can email us via our contact form >
