What are the big benefits of choosing high performance glass?

Windows and glass will have a huge impact on your home. They not only add to the comfort and liveability of your home, they can also save you money on lighting, heating/cooling, reduce noise and help keep you connected to the outdoors.

Government energy standards are demanding better ways of building and Viridian has a complete range to help homeowners create a space that not only exceeds current standards but will also give you a better home to live in for the future.

Read more about our energy efficient glass range here.

What kind of glass helps reduce noise?

As housing gets more compact and we are living closer to our neighbours, you need a glass that works to keep unwanted noise out but also works the other way so you have privacy in your own home. Viridian’s acoustic glass range, was designed specifically to dampen noise and can be used on its own or added to other high-performance glass to help you escape the noise of urban living and make your home a sanctuary. Read more about glass and noise performance here.

How do I know how glass is performing?

Glass performance can be measured! These performance values allow us to understand the impact of the windows on the homes’ overall energy efficiency. Performance values are measured on the whole window and not only the glass. Understanding what these values mean and how the measures work are important to ensuring that the glass that is specified is going to suit the needs of the home. Read more.

Can I use different types of glass in different parts of the home?

Yes! If budget is tight, or some areas of the home are prone to catching the brunt of the sun in summer (and none in winter) your glass selection in different orientations of the home can work with you! At Viridian, we feel every home is unique and the glass used should be designed to fit.

Who can I talk to next?

Homeowners and renovators

Speak directly to your builder or window fabricator about the options which will work best with your chosen window frames and performance requirements. Don’t forget to ask for Viridian Glass!

Fabricators and the trade

Get in touch with your local Viridian contact at 1800 847 434 for more information about our high performance glass range.

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Building research think tank, CSR Innovation, has identified a trend in the housing market where building designers are opting for fewer and smaller windows in the mainstream housing market, limiting distribution of natural light and creating darkened spaces in homes. This is not simply resolved by switching on a few lights: international research has shown increased levels of natural daylight aids Vitamin D and Serotonin production. Both Vitamin D and Serotonin aids mental, spiritual and physical health, and studies show that reduced levels increases the incidence of depression, anxiety, ill health and even prolongs recovery from illness. Research has found:

• Natural light benefits mood and mental health
• Natural light aids recovery from illness
• Natural light has positive impacts on building occupants
• Natural light aids connection with the local environment
• Natural light increases the sense of space in a building

Since 2005 CSR Innovation has noted a reduction of the glazing ratios (window area to floor area) of project built homes across Australia. “Thousands of project built homes are now being built with glazing ratios of less than 18%, with many below 15%,” says Jesse Clarke, Building Scientist with CSR Innovation. While energy efficiency regulations in Australia are adequate in specifying insulation, window heat transfer and window solar heat transfers, they are lacking in defining the performance criteria to maximise the benefits of daylight. “The BCA permits glazing ratios as low as 10%,” adds Clarke. “However some builders have realised that consumers don’t want dark cavern-like rooms in their homes. “For many houses in tropical Australia an 18% glazing ratio may be sufficient due to more ambient daylight. As we move south, available light levels are reduced and buildings have lower natural daylight penetration,” Clarke advises. “Higher glazing ratios are needed in sub-tropical, temperate and cool climates.” Daylight penetration is influenced by room shape, window size, position and glazing treatment. Average daylight levels (at floor level) of 3% of available daylight (ideally ranging between 2.5% and 3.5%) are sufficient to provide a healthy spread of daylight. While this sounds easily achievable, in near-square shaped rooms with 15% glazing ratio (typically on one wall) CSR studies have shown uneven spread of daylight, up to 7.8% adjacent to the window – however the room average is as low as 2.1% with 87% area less than 3%.

	A single window tends to give a patch of light falling on the floor in front of the window. Large variance in daylight. 15% Glazing ratio 7.8% Peak daylight – Very Glary 2.4% ave daylight – Too dim
	Multiple and Smaller windows can help distribute the light more evenly in a room. Glare reduced but lower light. 15% Glazing ratio 5.4% Peak daylight – No glare 2.1% ave daylight – Too dim
	Adding a 2nd smaller window to adjacent wall provides a better spread of light. Suitable daylight but too glary. 22.5% Glazing ratio 8.5% Peak daylight – Very Glary 3.3% ave daylight – Well lit
	Distributing equally sized windows around the room provides a better spread of light. 22.5% Glazing ratio 6.5% Peak daylight – Minimal Glare 3.1% ave daylight – Well lit

All rooms = 14.4 square metres. All windows have equivalent performance values. When glazing ratios are increased to 22.5%, the average daylight level is increased to 3.1% with a more even spread of light. As shown in the daylight models (above) the number and placement of windows has a large influence on the available daylight. “Homeowners and occupants are missing out on access to natural light and creating spaces that feel dark and uncomfortable,” Clarke says. “Our research has shown that comfort is more than having a stable internal temperature. General occupant comfort is aided by natural light, acoustics and controllable ventilation, among other physiological inputs.” Suitable levels of daylight can be achieved cost effectively with a balanced design approach developed by CSR. “Building design must place equal importance on all general comfort aspects, ensuring the star rating is optimised while delivering daylight, acoustics and ventilation to the building occupants,” Clarke suggests. “Windows are key to enabling all aspects of comfort; so getting your window size, location and specification right is critical to the ongoing comfort provided by the building.” Based on research at CSR house in Schofields, NSW, daylight design rules have been developed to determine required glazed areas based on the zone in the house, glass type and window configuration. Planning window placement for daylight penetration is not an easy task, however attention should be provided to areas commonly used during the daytime.

CSR’s guidelines for glazing distribution include:

• Daytime use rooms should have glazing ratios 20% above the average for the whole house
• Other daytime use areas such as bathrooms, ensuites and corridors may have their glazing ratios 20% below the house average
• Bedrooms should have glazing ratios roughly equal to the house average
• Other night time use rooms such as rumpus rooms and home theatres may have their glazing ratios 20% below the house average

“Even if you over glaze a room by a small margin, you can always use shading to manage glare,” Clarke adds. “If your windows are too small the room will always be naturally dark.”

The Living Space is brought to you by Viridian New World Glass.

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An understanding of light and flexible, adaptable spaces define a building of real magnetism.  Honouring its former Chancellor, The Sylvia Walton Building may be in the campus epicentre, but the precinct feels distinctly pastoral, predominantly water, bush and low-rise buildings from the 1960s and 70s. The university’s master-plan of ring-road and satellite car-parks has led to a pedestrian friendly, botanically driven landscape. Only 14 kms. from Melbourne’s CBD and with 19,000 students, such tranquillity doesn’t occur by accident. Project architect James Wilson, principal at Lyons, provided Vision an insight into the design decisions.

How do you know a good university building when you see one?

That’s a good question. I look for something that’s engaging and stimulating – which is what universities strive to be as they openly compete for students. They need to stand out as open, connected to student activities and learning, with real life and colour.  Its use of colour and play of light is quite exuberant. Highlighting key views and social spaces through uses of formed expanses of glass and highlights of colour help to portray the ambitions and ideas of the building. In Sylvia Walton, we wanted to generate a building that created anticipation and excitement as a backdrop to better learning. Hopefully that’s how most people will experience it.

There is an organic quality that avoids the standard rectangular rigidity we see in a great deal of modern architecture. Your facades are very activated and operable with a fully three-dimensional quality. How do you typically design these?

We always make sure we sit down with manufacturers and suppliers very early on in the design stage and involve them and ask what’s possible. We always look at involving contractors and then there are fewer surprises with cost or delivery blow-outs. We said we want to ‘push’ the outside of this building and so we sat down with the panelling pre-casters and Viridian and they were both on-board in the first phase of design. With the glass we definitely wanted to achieve a transparency in the double height spaces, which had varied levels of sun-shading and solar performance. It had to be 5-Star GBCA rating and it’s incredibly hard nowadays to maintain clear glazing with Section J requirements so we stressed the importance of glass specification from day one. Con Kantis from Viridian was very supportive. He provided a range of glass samples in those early project stages and it gave everyone involved much more confidence and understanding of specific glazing types. We considered issues such as clarity, thermal performance and natural ventilation. Colour tint is incredibly important.

Sustainability has been on everyone’s lips for a long time. How do you work that here?

We wanted to make it a breathable building. Every one of the major areas in the building can open up and be naturally ventilated. It’s almost like digging back into the past to imagine the future. Operable facades were very big in the ’60s and ’70s before they became fully sealed by the ’80s. Glass technology is changing. It seems to be more affordable than ever and allows for very beautiful expanses. The glazed treatments throughout the building elicit a fantastic response for our client.

To download the full article and interview click here.

Photography by Peter and Jennifer Hyatt. For more images, please follow ViridianGlass on Pinterest.

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The haute couture retailers Melbourne storefront on the corner of Russell St. and Flinders Lane is in the classic mould and almost anti-fashion with its preference for the golden age of elegance and grandeur. Classical façade elements are punctuated with Viridian’s AssaultGuardTM impact resistant glass to protect the store’s high-end merchandise without compromise to clarity. This former bank building most recently Scientology headquarters, appeared to be stumbling towards oblivion – until developer extraordinaire David Marriner saw potential and realised a sharp connection with the Paris-bred brand. In the process, Marriner sought the services of Melbourne’s Trethowan Architecture to help reinstate the building. Working with New York interiors architect Peter Marino, Trethowan captures the grand, boom-time Melbourne, prior to Flinders Lanes transition as rag-trade strip. Project architect Richard Wood and Bruce Trethowan explain the challenges and triumphs of designing for the high tailored client and clientele.

Were there issues about working with a demanding client that made your job especially testing?

RW: This retail is certainly different from almost any other store. It’s configured as a series of interlocking rooms for display, sitting and changing rooms. There isn’t that open archetypal space full of clothes racks. Customers proceed through a sequence of rooms that offer very specific experiences of style and quality.

Can you elaborate on the new circulation House Style strategy that frees up the previously congested space?

BT: The building now has three entrances – Flinders Lane, The Hyatt Hotel and Russell St. This didn’t concern us because the ground and first floor were very much something the retailer would manage. They proposed a staircase in a quite pivotal position and once this was located the rest of the design coalesced. It addressed access and this felt like the way it should have always been. The interior design role and our role were very separate.

How important is the role of glass in creating that seductive storefront given the importance of attraction to and the invitation for the passer-by?

BT: Natural light levels inside were extremely poor and window-sills were considerably above floor level which meant quite obstructed views into and from the ground level. Changing the sill height levels improved the whole ambience of the interiors. There are wonderful views into and from the street at ground level for instance and the steel framed windows above add a lovely verticality in those horizontal spaces with views towards the street trees.

Given the prestige brand and value of goods, you selected Viridian’s AssaultGuardTM. Can you explain that choice?

BT: It provides a barrier to forced entry, being designed to resist attack from a variety of hand tools typically used. RW: One of the nice things about the glass is that it doesn’t immediately stand out as some specialty type of glass nor compromise views in either direction. Clarity and light transmission is fantastic.

What were the main energy issues?

RW: The challenge of the main elevation is the heat loss with such big glass panels that had to be double-glazed and insulated with argon-filled glass on the upper floors. Ground floor uses AssaultGuardTM. Because of orientation and over-shadowing, heat gain isn’t really such an issue. The main Russell Street elevation is relatively narrow and the bigger presence along Flinders Lane is south facing. The building could have been lost, but now it has a whole new lease of life.

To download the full article and interview click here. Photography: Exteriors – Peter Hyatt, Interiors – Steve Young, Young & Percival

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The move from agricultural to a contemporary urban presence was seen as a vital part for the RSPCA’s growing community relevance. Viridian glazing is key to much of the architectural achievement – which meets a demanding range of climatic and visual requirements.  Barbara Bamford, Principal of Bamford Architects discusses the background to the bold public face of an organisation supported almost entirely from public donation:

It’s a very high visibility project on a busy arterial. How deliberate was the move from impoverished and nondescript to statement structure?

A major focus of the brief was to be viewed, if not as landmark, then as having a really major civic presence. The building has a quite dramatic graphic element that reinforces the RSPCA brand and also reflects the organisation’s leadership role within animal welfare. We visited a number of animal welfare facilities and looked at the idea of biomorphic architecture for instance. In the end we settled on something we believe is an honest, open expression rather than adopting the over-sized animal sculptures, or novelty form. Everyone agreed that the architecture should define the centre and contribute towards its credentials, and so it is very purpose designed rather than clever form that then shoehorned in floor-space.

What was the standout out test, or difficulty?

Our experience in healthcare projects was invaluable because many of the same issues and stringent standards needed to apply for infection control and circulation flows. It’s a project every bit as complex as hospitals because of the stringent need for infection control, quarantine and the interface with people. We had to weigh up such matters as the degree of privacy required, floor area, spatial relationship and so on while always working to a fairly lean budget. In terms of design efficiency the main street elevation faces south and this allowed us to be fairly open in our expression to the street and passing traffic.

You’re glazing program really seems to reflect the interplay between celebration and need for privacy.

Yes it does. The glazing at the main entry sweeps down as a diagonal and meets the floor at the clinic waiting area and opens up in the more public area. In other areas such as the clinic it’s quite constrained. At the higher level of the administration buildings, EVantageTM SuperBlue glass is used less for transparency than as branding gesture. It also provides a degree of privacy. In the dog adoption and dog day care areas below the administration area, EVantage Grey is used mainly for thermal performance. We could have used clear glass, but it can be confronting for the dogs. People can still see what’s going on, but it’s slightly obscured for pet welfare. Of an evening, passing traffic gets good views of animal training or exhibitions. In sensitive areas – the clinic for instance is potentially sensitive – translucent glazing ensures natural light and privacy. We layered glass just like clothing for comfort and specific needs. There’s no doubt Viridian’s SuperBlueTM is a key here and being present to watch its installation was tremendously satisfying. We had confidence that it would work well and we weren’t disappointed.

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Cool, understated and quietly commanding, the new centre designed by Billard Leece Partnership (BLP), provides the perfect place for students and staff to watch the world go by – or simply hang out. Viridian EVantageTM and EnergyTechTM are instrumental in that showcase achievement of inclusiveness and an open book attitude.

The project’s cool black guise and high legibility might appear to be a place solely for student hipsters, but the reality is far more inclusive and engaging. And it doubles as a community and business resource where ‘Bendigonians’ gather for a diverse range of functions outside of university hours. Project architect Rosemary Burne of BLP tells Vision editor Peter Hyatt how the practice squeezed every possible cent from an astringent budget.

It’s more than just a simple black box, you’ve woven and frayed the envelope along key edges that produces a fascinator-like screen along the northern elevation. 

It’s a good analogy that is very apparent from within where you can see out but you can’t see in quite as well. The solar performance of the glazing and veiled mesh clearly support each other. The north-west corner with the folded veil, seen from the main approach, really cops the greatest summer heat. It also has amazing views over Bendigo and so that’s why there is so much glass. We didn’t want the obvious big picture window but we do have it in a way that’s not naked, but veiled.

What emphasis did you place on the glazing when the budget pressures were telling you to rein in every aspect of the project? 

We have to be very compliant with energy ratings and we work closely with our engineers, and Viridian offers excellent technical resources. Glass specification is at least as important, if not more so, than wall specification. Glass has its own performance characteristics, but these are in some ways invisible and easy to disguise or change and often the inexperienced eye will be none the wiser.  Our builder wanted to change the glass on this project and we said ‘no way’ because we had worked out all of the energy ratings and we know how well Viridian’s product works. We didn’t want to go back and repeat the exercise for another product. It makes a big difference to the building’s appearance if you have blue, grey or green tint to say nothing of not getting the right performance glass installed. Overlaying that are opportunities with colorback, fritting, seraphic for such beautiful effects.

Budgets seem to be forever shrinking. What pressure did that put on you here? 

It might have been a lean budget but key elements such as the glazing and deck are a beautiful quality and we really didn’t want to compromise on those. You do pay a penalty for building on sloping sites and building around trees, however, being elevated there’s that opportunity for people to meet, sit and observe their immediate environment. It was conceived as a verandah space, or a tree-house, so it is about being perched up there.

To download the full article and interview click here.  Photography by Peter Hyatt & Jennifer Hyatt.

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Design clarity and delicacy have helped win Wardle recognition and reward. The Bruny Island house on Tasmania’s east coast earned his first Boyd Award in 2012, and in 2013 the Fairhaven House on Victoria’s rugged surf coast brought home the prized double.

John Wardle’s brilliantly designed Fairhaven House sits high on a ridge-line above Bass Strait. The house forms a long-sided horse-shoe on the west elevation with a central courtyard open to the north and protected against southerly winds. While the outlook fascinates, the house reflects Wardle’s intense interest in the natural world.  Picture walls of Viridian performance glass are used like lenses high, wide, tall and slender. Sheet zinc exterior and boat like timber linings complete the picture. Deflected light, breeze, ingeniously concealed hinges and latches, custom-designed furniture and streamlined surfaces are all clues to something very special. Every part has a purpose rather than adding excess baggage. Even his hand-railings are exemplary.  Vision editor Peter Hyatt speaks with John Wardle:

What was the design inspiration and reference you first observed about Fairhaven? 

The idea for its materiality and colour came from that very first visit. We asked the question could we make use of the existing hardwood and bush colours such as the eucalyptus obliqua. That influenced everything from the green zinc cladding to the glass to timber linings. The only applied colour resulted from where we took photos of lichen and fungi taken from the site.

You create your own rules about windows and walls where they substitute for one another. What is the background to that? 

There is a program of invented logic to this house that states: “…let’s not have any operable elements in those view lines.” There are winders and fly-wire to the operable timber blades, but on the whole, the house has windows/walls with views south and north that don’t draw air to distract from the purity of those views.   We love glass walls. Wherever we have a glass wall we make sure they vanish and the edges disappear. We will push the sill below the floor and the two sides of the windows beyond the walls and the head of the window up above the ceiling. Then we will draw the air in from beneath, or from the side.  There is a powerful transition from hinterland to ocean and that is what that site is largely about. We tried to reinstate the bush and when you enter you are almost transported through a series of lenses before arriving at the point where the experience is all about the ocean view. It’s not a house of flamboyant materials and systems so much as the use of indigenous, conventional materials.

What is your view on the use of local versus imported materials such as glass? 

I certainly believe in making the most of whatever power an architect has in supporting companies such as Viridian who research, develop and manufacture locally. We will support them and always work with them because apart from anything else it’s critical that we get behind local manufacturing industry.

To download the full article and interview click here.  Photography by Peter Hyatt & Jennifer Hyatt.

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Having witnessed the rise and rise of universities during the past decade, secondary and primary schools are creating the same success by producing well-designed architecture, landscaping and campus planning.

“The quality of campus buildings, their spaces and landscaping speaks volumes to the visitor and occupants. Ultimately it speaks of a vision, aspirations and values of this institution. The quality of the campus is perceived as a reflection of the quality of the education it provides,” Design director, Michael Savage at Parry and Rosenthal Architects.

Michael spoke with Vision’s Peter Hyatt about key glazing decisions:

What was your starting point for glazing?

We have specified Viridian glazing for many years because it has an excellent reputation, has been around for a long time and the Viridian team has provided good support. The project glazing is designed to open up the lobby to visitors and bring light into the main circulation spaces. The green tint of the glazing ties in very well with the landscaping in the forecourt and the green trim used through the campus. The transparency allows the building to be connected to the outside landscaped environment and visually expand the space.

Were there difficulties reconciling views and sunlight with comfort and thermal control?

The lobby with its external covered colonnade faces south onto the entry forecourt and parking areas so sunlight was not a problem here. The glazing to the west is shielded by large stone blade walls while sunshades are provided on the northern side. Some smaller sections of east and west glazing are protected with aluminium louvres. Thermal control is also achieved with very high levels of insulation in walls and roof which also acoustically insulate the building.  What are some of the other principal benefits of glass? In a school, transparency is very important in providing spaces that people feel free and safe to enter and use and which can be passively supervised by teaching staff. As such, all the teaching areas around the perimeter of the theatre make extensive use of floor to ceiling glazing.

Were there any fears or opposition to such extensive glazing?

No. We faced the double-height lobby glazing into the forecourt area of the school to the south and the building doesn’t overlook the neighbouring houses on the other side of the street. On the west side that does face the houses, large stone blade walls block any overlooking ­- and light spill at night – and serve to scale down the apparent size of the building.

To download the full article and interview click here. Photography by Robert Firth.

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The project needed to express dignity and calm while promising a high-performance recital space. Chapel and sacristy, seating for 220, various tutorial rooms and support spaces all under one roof. The centre’s fully transparent entryway now allows visitors to observe internal activity, yet provides full acoustic separation from outside as well as the musical tuition rooms below.

“It took 18 months of refinement for an absolutely distilled, sharply focused result that needed to meet some pretty demanding design regulations. It is not only about structural honesty and integrity, but revealing of the openness and inclusiveness of school,” design director, Chris Hose, William Ross Architects.

Much of the project’s appeal according to Chris is a result of the simple palette of materials, careful handling and stripped back performance. The new vision which incorporates steel cladding and glass, combine to create a real modernity that fully connects with landscape and sky.

“We sought the clearest glass that would achieve code requirements. With such large window sections we knew structural systems were needed and so Viridian was our first port of call. We explored how we could break the glazing up in a vertical sense yet avoid the traditional grid. It also allowed us to install frameless, sash-less sliding double-hung units to open the space up for cross ventilation and air flow.”

Two cinematic spreads of glass are only part of the design legacy. Slot windows to the more demanding heat-loads north and west are partly concealed, yet effectively wash the walls. Downstairs is a more pragmatic use of glass where a combination of screening and vegetation allow ample light to fall.   Part of the acoustic integrity is achieved with the reception space discretely separated from the main volume by full-height glazing and frameless glass doors. The main east elevation features an offset structural glass façade that frames views and admits direct early morning light.

The chapel includes a series of sculptural glass windows by renowned glass artists, Janusz and Magdalena Kuzbicki. This was a critical part of the college’s brief with a separate selection process undertaken during design, followed by careful detailing and coordination between architecture and artwork.

In an age when starchitects find themselves brand building for commercial imperatives, Eltham CLC can afford to take a step back and take the longer-term view. Here the educational ‘brand’ defers to place and in the process achieves simplicity and serenity.

To download a PDF of this article as a case study click here. Photography Peter Hyatt & Jennifer Hyatt.

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With double-glazing as a high performance ‘skin’, Piermont house is a great example of the ‘country shacks’ rebirth.  With more than half of the planet’s population now urban dwellers, rural types are the shrinking yet enthusiastic minority. While many crave the great outdoors, some make it a way of life and prove that the tree-change is the perfect fit for young active families.  Mies van der Rohe’s famed, yet problematic, Farnsworth House by the Fox River, Illinois inspired generations of followers in the International Style. Mies’ single room steel and glass wonder won admirers for its capacity to make a grand single volume link with nature.   One Ballarat couple was so inspired by their visit to the Farnsworth House, that upon their return the couple discarded plans to build in the rustic tradition, and instead took up Rachcoff Vella Architects on a wholly revised idea for their 10 acre property. 

“Although there are no direct parallels between the Farnsworth and Piermont House, there are certain principles we’re adopted. Technology gives us a huge advantage with regard to new and better materials,” Project Architect, Tony Vella. 

Designed for a family of six with four children under the age of 12, the architect’s response is a series of wings spread out into the landscape, carefully sited on a prominent and higher location taking advantage of 360° views.  The bedroom wings respond to the contours of the land allowing it to bunker itself down, reducing its dominance and becoming a more integral part of the site. The main living wing is the more flamboyant object proudly projecting out over the site allowing the natural landscape to merge through the glass façade.   The artfully composed main volume benefits from the wide eaves to modify summer sunlight, while double glazing and thermal mass concrete flooring help to stabilize ambient temperature. 

“The glass that we have to work with now is vastly superior to previous era’s. It allows us to be bolder and more confident in dealing with climate, fully sealing the house and absorbing the landscape. The family wanted to feel part of the landscape. And they can do that without question because glass is integral to the design.”

To read Peter Hyatt’s interview with Project Architect, Tony Vella – download a PDF of this article as a case study.  Photography by Shannon McGrath.

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