Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope^™
2425 Olympic Boulevard
Suite 525-East
Santa Monica, CA 90404
Tel: (866) 653-2278
Fax: (310) 264-4703
E-mail: www.oldcastlebe.com/general-questions
Website: http://www.oldcastlebe.com

Insulating Glass

What is Insulating Glass?
Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope^™ Insulating Glass (IG) units are hermetically sealed combinations of two or more lites of glass separated by a dry airspace. IG units improve thermal performance, significantly reducing heating and air conditioning costs. IG units also reduce interior condensation in cold climates.

Insulating glass units are fabricated according to project specifications. IG units can be constructed using a large variety of glass products to achieve desired aesthetics; meet design criteria and safety codes; and/or improve solar control and thermal performance. Glass options include clear, low iron, Low-E's, standard or high performance (spectrally selective) tints, reflective, silk-screened, spandrel, laminated, decorative and wired glass. The glass lites of an IG unit can be annealed, heat-strengthened, tempered or laminated.

The standard 1" commercial IG unit consists of two lites of 1/4" glass and a nominal 1/2" air space. Custom IG unit designs can be fabricated with glass thicknesses ranging from 1/8" to 3/4" and with airspace thicknesses ranging from 3/16" to 7/8" having standard spacer colors of clear, bronze and black anodized, and mill finish aluminum. Maximum sizes for IG units are determined by a number of considerations, including thickness, weight, aspect ratio, application and load requirements.

Applications
Insulating glass units are used in essentially all exterior building applications, including vertical glazing, sloped glazing, overhead glazing and skylights, and also in both vision and spandrel (nonvision) areas. Depending on the glass type used, IG units can be designed for light and solar control, sound control, ultraviolet screening (to reduce fading), hurricane, earthquake and blast resistance, security, bullet resistance, and decorative applications.

Characteristics
Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope^™ insulating glass units are independently tested and certified according to North American standards for quality and performance. Our IG unit constructions pass the highest level (Class CBA) of the ASTM E773/E774 specification. The tests are validated by the Insulating Glass Certification Council (IGCC) which sponsors the certification program in the US. The Insulating Glass Manufacturers Alliance is responsible for IGMAC certification in Canada.

By combining Low-E coatings, standard and high performance tinted glasses, reflective coatings, silk-screened patterns, laminated glass products and more, a wide variety of insulating glass configurations are available to satisfy a wide range of performance and aesthetic requirements. IG units can be fabricated to meet state energy and safety codes, sound control and seismic requirements and impact, bullet, hurricane and blast resistance requirements. IG units can be designed to reduce heat loss and solar heat gain entering the building, with a minimal reduction of visible light transmittance.

SunGlass™
New, exclusive, SunGlass™ Solar Control Glass provides architects with a neutral color glass that transmits daylight while reducing heat gain. SunGlass™ delivers an unprecedented combination of solar control and visible light transmittance.