When choosing a glass partition system for your office, it’s important to weigh the benefits of various types of glass. Glass options for glass partition systems include laminated, tempered, LCD, and low-iron.
Tempered glass walls in an office add safety to an area that receives high use and wear and tear over the years. It is safe, it also looks beautiful, and it is more durable than standard glass. All of these reasons will help you to confidently choose the tempered glass walls that are perfect for your office space.
What Is Tempered Glass?
Tempered glass is a special type of glass that is manufactured to be up to seven times stronger than regular glass. Tempered glass is essentially pre-stressed. A regular pane of glass is heat-treated and then quickly cooled, which strengthens the glass and changes how it breaks if it sustains an impact.
Despite its increased strength, tempered glass retains the characteristics that make glass a desirable building material such as allowing natural light and encouraging solar heat.
While regular glass shatters into dangerous, jagged shards, tempered glass breaks into small pebble-like pieces. This makes it perfect for areas that are required to have safety glass, such as side and rear vehicle windows, showers, skylights, entrance doors, and office walls and doors.
Reasons to Use Tempered Glass in an Office Design
1. Movable Wall Potential
Tempered glass is perfect for movable walls and folding glass partition systems. Standard glass has a tendency to form tiny cracks on its surface that make it more likely to break. As walls are moved and reconfigured they would continue to accumulate these surface cracks and eventually won’t be able to withstand the movement. Tempered glass, however, does not suffer from these surface cracks, making them less likely to weaken over time and become more susceptible to breaking.
2. Peace of Mind in High Traffic Areas
Certain areas receive high traffic day in and day out. For instance, the glass installed at the Iowa School of Music sees untold numbers of students each day, and it’s no secret that college kids are not the most careful or coordinated.
In these areas in particular, it is important to prepare for the event of an impact, whether from an object or a human. If someone were to fall into the glass or an errant object struck it, you want to make sure that the area would still stay as safe as possible.
In high traffic areas, it’s important to choose tempered glass partitions that can withstand an impact, and if broken, break safely. The small pebble-like pieces of tempered glass, while still posing a safety hazard, are not nearly as dangerous as the jagged shards produced when standard glass shatters.
3. More Durable Than Standard Glass
Chances are, you won’t be remodeling your office every few years, and repairs with materials that aren’t durable can be costly and time consuming. So, when choosing materials for your design, you want to make sure that the choices you make will be the right ones for years to come.
Since a tempered glass partition wall is more durable than one made of standard glass, it is a great choice for office designs that need to stand the test of time.
4. Meet Code Regulations
Depending on your building or application, safety glass may be required. Tempered glass meets the requirements for safety glass and is a less expensive choice than laminated glass. Most doors require safety glass, but it’s important to check the building codes for your particular application to ensure you’re choosing the right glass.
5. Ideal for Frameless Partitions and Doors
A frameless glass door or frameless partition system is an aesthetically beautiful design element, and its minimal profile creates a clean, streamlined look that is made possible by tempered glass. Since the exterior of the glass is under compression and the interior is under tension, it is able to hold up without a frame, creating the perfect glass wall or door.
6. Strong in Different Configurations
Tempered glass partition walls can be installed in straight, angled, and curved configurations. So, whether you’re going for a fully circular room or just want to add a subtle curve, this is a great choice to add a safe and unique touch.
Improve Your Office with Tempered Glass Walls
Stronger than standard glass, tempered glass is the best choice to create a glass wall in your office. Avant Systems is a tempered glass option for glass wall partition systems and door options. By choosing tempered glass, you will ensure you’re meeting building code requirements, creating a safe environment, and choosing a material that will stand the test of time.
For more information on a better office design, contact the tempered glass experts at Avanti Systems today.