The Future of Glass

You might think there are no further advances that can be made when it comes to your windows. However, windows of the future could be made from transparent components that conduct electricity! This is a new breakthrough where metal can be added to glass, but it’s see-through!

Windows are certainly being turned into high-tech objects, along most other objects in our lives. In the not-to-distant future the windows in our homes could all be used for glass that doubles up as smart screens like we find on or phones and tablets.

This sounds like something from a sci-fi film but could well become a reality thanks to recent discoveries made at the University of British Columbia. While we probably won’t see this technology by the time our windows are next due for replacement, perhaps our children will have smart windows in their first homes. For help with your current glass windows, contact Cheltenham Glazing businesses like https://actdirect.co.uk/services/emergency-glazing-cheltenham/.

The technology involves very small glass pieces being coated with thin layers of metal like silver, so light is still able to travel through. The metals used are natural conductors of electricity so in short, a window could become a piece of smart technology with a display screen.

Image credit

Scientists have long known that you could place glass on metal to make the metal more transparent, but this is the first time it’s been possible to see metal being on glass to make the glass more transparent. Such see-through technology has recently been seen in movies such as Iron Man and soon, we could have it ourselves.  What would be useful about this technology is the ability to selectively filter heat and light automatically according to pre-set instructions depending on the time of day and the season. This would be a massive breakthrough for smart homes, having windows that could be integrated into the existing smart home set-up.

There are already breakthroughs in the world of architectural glass. A new era of green thinking is promoting more sustainable manufacturing methods and assisting governments to reach new lower carbon emission targets. The ideal scenario is one where function meets fashion and windows can be produced in a sustainable way that offers style, beauty and a useful purpose aside from letting in light. The designers of the future of looking for ever more ingenious ways to create stunning and healthy environments for the millions of people who live and work in urban areas.

Where previously the focus was always on the aesthetics, now it is increasingly aimed towards developing sustainable, aesthetically-pleasing and energy efficient glass for many different window uses. Glass is incredibly versatile with so many different applications. Not only could a window be used for providing a wonderful view but could also be put to use by reducing condensation, decreasing glare, applying increased safety and helping to regulate the building temperature to keep the occupants comfortable. Many developments are looking into improving glass coatings, but experts are also looking at how the glass itself can be modified into providing more solar heat accumulation in colder climates for example. Also being worked on is a super-strength double glazing available in the width of a single pane of glass.

 

Related posts