STRUCTURAL GLASS FACADES - USC School of Architecture

Constructability
Fabrication: Glass supply is easier; pinch plates may need to be custom designed until
manufacturers begin to offer an off-the-shelf product.
Installation: General parity with drilled systems.
Care must be taken with the silicone seal through the pinch plate, as this penetration through
the seal can be a potential leak point if not properly sealed. A method statement is required
and mockup testing advised.
Economy
This strategy eliminates the cost associated with the holes, which in the case of insulated
and insulated-laminated glass can be considerable. However, this advantage is easily offset
if the cost of the clamping components is significantly more that the glass bolts used with the
drilled systems. While there are numerous suppliers providing various products for bolting
drilled glass, there are currently far fewer providing claming systems.
6.4 Other Considerations in Glass Selection
6.4.1 Glass Selection Considerations
The evaluation criteria above were developed specifically with respect to structural glass
facades. The following are more general considerations, many of which will ultimately be
important to the designer regardless of the glass application. The following are additional
considerations for glass selection depending upon project requirements. Relevant
considerations will vary between projects. This list has been derived from a Pilkington
technical bulletin (Pilkington 2005), and from Button and Pye (1993).
282