Safety

Crystal Clear

The clear, majestic curved corners of England’s Jubilee Building were a challenge to create for Ken Woodcock, Managing Director at Novaglaze (now Gardener & Newton).

“There is inevitably a slight loss of optical quality when bending glass, but UVEKOL^® minimizes the distortions and corrects slight imperfections that result from the bending process,” Woodcock said.

Even more impressive is UVEKOL’s durability, delivering impact resistance on uneven surfaces. “UVEKOL has intrinsic strength,” said Woodcock. “Even if the glass is struck with enough force to shatter it, UVEKOL’s strength allows it to hold its shape.”

Each corner window of the Jubilee Building is made of two layers of laminated glass. The outer layer consists of two sheets of 4 mm green glass laminated together, while the inside layer features two pieces of 4 mm laminated, low-emissivity (low-e) glass. These 1 meter x 2.5 meter sheets were all bound with 1.5 mm of UVEKOL.

“UVEKOL’s smooth flowing character was vital in this process,” pointed out Woodcock. “Without it, the project would have been virtually impossible.”

UVEKOLShatters Expectations

The safety grades of UV-cured laminates meet ANSI Z97.1 and CPSC 16 CFR 1201 (Category I and II), as well as EN 12600 Class 1B1, the highest one defined (pendulum height 1200 mm). When impacted, the glass fragments adhere to the interlayer and significantly reduce the risk of serious injuries. Typical applications include storefronts, elevator shafts, staircases, glass doors and interior office glazing.