3. Architecture and glass

3.1 Introduction

From the 15th century onwards, window glass spread rapidly throughout civil architecture. But its introduction accelerated dramatically in the latter part of the 20th century, with three major technological developments impacting the manufacture and development of window glass.

• On the thermal front

  For a long time, single-glazing was the only type of glazing used, not only in the commercial sector, but also in single-family homes, until the oil crisis of the 1970s (for 4 mm-thick glazing, the Ug thermal transmittance is 5.8 W · m ² · K).

  The development of 4.6.4 single-glazing (4 mm glass, 6 mm air, 4 mm glass) has reduced...