What Is Spandrel Glass?
Spandrel glass is a special non-transparent glass panel designed to mask existing structural elements such as mechanical equipment, plumbing, HVAC systems, and electrical wiring between the floors, ceilings, and shear walls of a building. While vision glass is clear or slightly tinted, spandrel glass is a fully opaque or tinted architectural glass that doesn’t allow anyone to see through it. Thus, it is often utilized in curtain wall systems to conceal parts or the content of a building that are not for display.
The spandrel glass is durable and has a uniform appearance that provides a sleek and refined finish best suited for contemporary architectural designs. Window manufacturers often rely on coating to render the spandrel glass opaque.
Additionally, manufacturers heat-treat and customize the exterior glass color to achieve a decorative effect, contrasting features, or to match the spandrel glass panels with the window wall. However, avoid installing spandrel glass in a way that it allows artificial or daylight to expose hidden contents on the opposite side.
Types of Spandrel Glass
Spandrel glass is an appealing architectural element compatible with a wide range of designs. Spandrel glass comes in different types. However, variables like design of the building, local building codes, desired aesthetics, and thermal performance requirements determine the choice of spandrel glass. Common types used in buildings include:
Back-Painted Spandrel Glass
This is the most popular spandrel glass with a special paint or enamel layer applied to the back surface of a glass panel to make it opaque. The outer part stays smooth and glossy while the painted side remains inside. This type of spandrel is available in different color shades to match the aesthetic requirements of the building and offers a consistent and durable surface finish.
Ceramic Frit Spandrel Glass
It is a type of baked-on coating fabricated from glass particles and fused to the glass surface through a high-temperature firing process for increased durability. Manufacturers use the frit coating to add partial patterns or texture to the glass surface and to serve as a long-lasting finish. You can also customize the color, pattern, and opacity to meet your design needs.
Monolithic Spandrel Glass
As the name implies, this is a single glass pane usually fully tempered or heat-treated to enhance its safety and opaqueness. Many manufacturers often apply opaque coating to block light and visually match the spandrel with other glass panels to avoid mismatched panels.
Insulated Spandrel Glass
This type of spandrel glass comprises two or more glass panes merged with a spacer. Manufacturers coat the interior surface of the glass with an opaque material like a metallic coating or ceramic frit to create the required level of opacity. Its enhanced insulating properties allow it to provide higher energy efficiency by reducing heat loss and maintaining comfortable indoor temperatures.
Shadow-Box Spandrels
The type of spandrel glass utilizes a clear or slightly tinted glass with an insulated cavity or opaque panel built behind it with materials such as colored back pans or foil-backed insulation. The existing gap forms depth and visual interest, which allows greater flexibility in reflectivity and color.
However, it is important that the shadow boxes be carefully detailed and have adequate ventilation to prevent complications such as fogging and heat buildup.
Reasons Why Spandrel Glass is the Right Architectural Glass for Your Project
Here are some of the benefits of using spandrel glass in your building projects:
Neat and Uniform Appearance
Spandrel glass units are widely utilized in commercial building projects since they come in various color options that make them a standout choice for designers and architects who aim to achieve a distinct design vision. Thanks to the minimalist nature of the spandrel glass, it forms a visually cohesive and highly functional all-glass façade and adjusts transparency when properly installed with vision glass.
Masks Unattractive Building Elements
Usually, you will find mechanical equipment, storage units, or floor slabs behind the opaque or tinted glass surface. The spandrel areas act as a visual filter that keeps these building systems and spaces hidden to prevent anything from affecting the exterior design. More so, it enhances the building’s overall aesthetic appeal by providing more privacy in storage spaces, bathrooms, or conference rooms while letting in natural light.
Thermal Insulation and Optimal Energy Performance
Not only does spandrel glass enhance the exterior look of buildings, but it also improves energy efficiency. It helps reduce energy costs by minimizing reliance on cooling systems and artificial light. Coated or tinted spandrel glass also reduces glare and the amount of solar heat gain allowed into your building. Thus, it transforms your building into a more comfortable environment.
Home builders and contractors use spandrel glass panels with back pans, IGUs, or insulation in curtain wall systems to minimize heat loss and increase overall R-values. Spandrel glass also helps reduce thermal bridging, particularly around steel columns or floor lines. For this reason, glass spandrel panels are now essential structural elements in almost all commercial buildings.
Fire Safety and Regulation Compliance
Generally, most building codes require non-combustible materials and assemblies near spandrel areas. As such, you can comply with building regulations when you use fire-rated assemblies, including insulation, steel panels, or tested non-combustible materials. It provides an extra protection layer without compromising the building’s appearance.
Why Should Spandrel Glass Be Tempered?
To an extent, it is essential to use tempered spandrel glass for your non-vision areas. Heat treating every spandrel glass panel makes the glass durable and functions as intended. Tempering allows them to exhibit remarkable impact-resistance properties that make them ideal for hiding slab ends of buildings and vents. You can choose almost any glass option that best matches your budget and building’s aesthetic needs.
Punti di forza
Spandrel glass is a popular and functional architectural element that plays an integral role in adding aesthetics and harmony to the design of your construction projects. It offers endless design solutions since it can be merged with vision glass to achieve distinctive design effects and meet the needs of your architectural project. Think Boswindor if you need professional assistance choosing the right spandrel glass that will blend in style and visually complement the vision glass in your building!
Boswindor is a top and trusted window and door manufacturer that specializes in producing top-quality, premium spandrel insulating glass units. Our product portfolio includes a versatile range of coated and opaque colored products that offer numerous solutions to help achieve the perfect look to satisfy your needs and architectural style.
Our second-to-none team of skilled experts has an in-depth understanding of spandrel glass’s appeal for your project and can offer expert recommendations. Contattaci subito!
Domande frequenti
How Do Manufacturers Make Spandrel Glass?
A few steps go into the fabrication of a spandrel glass. The manufacturer applies an opacifier (often made of silicone) to the inside surface of glass panels to prevent visual read-through. As such, you can decide to convert a variety of glass panels into spandrel glass units. Tempered glass, clear glass, tinted glass, and low-iron glass are some of the common glass options for spandrel glass. The glass is often heat-strengthened to enhance its durability and resistance to wind loads and thermal stresses.
Can Spandrel Glass Work in Vision Areas?
No, spandrel glass is unsuitable for vision areas. Its opacity allows it to conceal structural elements, provide more privacy, and make façades more elegant. The functions of spandrel glass contradict the needs of a vision area because people are supposed to glare through the vision area.
EN 
DE 
SW 
JV 
KO