STRUCTURAL GLASS FACADES - USC School of Architecture

work, and to provide the function of tensioning the rod itself within the work. The rod
assembly essentially acts as its own turnbuckle.
Rods do present an elegant solution as a tension component, but they are not appropriate in
all applications. As discussed earlier in this Chapter, rods can be difficult to store, handle
and install without damaging the finish, most often a brushed stainless steel. Rods are
generally limited to straight segments, unlike cables which can be wound through a structure
as appropriate, minimizing the number of end terminations, which can result in considerable
savings.
2.4 Glass
Chapter 1 focused on the historical context of glass and its use in architecture. Here the
focus will be on the composition and properties of various glass types. Glass is an ancient
material with unique properties and diverse applications. Glass comes in many forms as a
function of chemistry and process. The basic ingredient however, is silica, or sand, one of
the most common and inexpensive materials on the planet. The two largest users of glass
are the construction and automotive industries, and here glass material takes a more
specific form.
2.4.1 Glass as Architectural Material
Soda-lime glass is the most common form of glass, and the material used in the modern day
float process by which architectural flat glass is produced. The various material properties of
glass; transparency, durability, resistance to corrosion and high temperatures, coupled with
the huge production capacity of the industry and relative low cost, render it a uniquely
appropriate material for application in architecture. The glass used in structural glass
facades, while varying substantially among projects, is almost always annealed flat product
yielding from the float glass process, subject to modification through some form of secondary
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