IF SIZE MATTERS, USE STEEL/MAKING LIGHT OF STEEL GLAZING IN RESIDENTIAL APPLICATIONS

摘要

We are all adversely affected by bad buildings that make poor use of light. Indeed, recent studies suggest that a major cause of UK work-related absenteeism is caused, directly or indirectly, by poor lighting. However, the detrimental use of light can be just as pronounced in our homes. In comparison, good building design that lets light flood in, bringing the outside world into our homes, can have the opposite effect. With modern glazing technology, it also blurs the dividing line between the outside and inside, giving our homes a fundamental sense of space and place within their surroundings. Until recently, glazing technology could only offer limited spans of glass because the framing systems used in residential applications were made from timber, aluminium or PVC-U and therefore lacked tensile strength. That's not to disparage other glazing systems; merely to emphasise that, when it comes to size, all have practical framing and wind-load limitations.