It is believed that glass is a very fragile thin material, unable to withstand the effects of snowfall, rain, temperature changes, so the maximum where it can be used is for glazing windows and street doors. But thanks to modern methods of processing, glass today is in demand in the first positions, even roofs and entire facades are made from it. Not so long ago they began to produce glass canopies. The installation of this small architectural element gives the building sophistication, lightness, transparency.
The main purpose of canopies and awnings is to protect the doors of the house from weather troubles. The architects, striving to ensure that the protective elements not only fulfill their direct function, but also give buildings a decorative effect, improve its aesthetic appeal, put forward a bold idea - to use glass for their manufacture, which is not inferior in strength to reinforced concrete structures.
Peculiarities of using glass hanging elements
Glass canopies and awnings can be used as the only piece of glass made of a building or included ina whole complex of architectural elements from this material.
Install such constructions above the entrance to:
- hotels;
- administrative buildings;
- exhibition complexes;
- airports;
- stop complexes;
- parking;
- Pavilions in private households and other public and private facilities.
Since such awnings are most suitable for glass doors, they are most often installed above the entrance.
Product types
Glass canopies can have a variety of designs:
- Frame. For installation, the glass plate is fixed in a metal frame. So the design acquires the necessary rigidity and reliability. To protect the metal from corrosion, those places where the glass is connected to the frame are treated with a special coating. This prevents dust and moisture from entering the joints.
- Console. For the manufacture of the console, polished stainless steel is used, on top of which a glass plane is then applied. Although this type of construction does not differ from the frame in strength, it seems to be lighter in appearance.
- All-glass. This type of construction is especially decorative. In order not to use a frame for the manufacture of the structure, the material is given the necessary shape - domed, curved - in a word, the one that is necessary for a particular object. Guys are used to fix the product. This is the name of the metal products on which glass is hung.
Benefitsglassware
Indisputable decorativeness is the main, but far from the only advantage of glass canopies. The following characteristics can be attributed to the advantages:
- Transparency. Glass easily transmits natural light, which ensures good illumination on balconies, terraces, verandas and other rooms where it has been used. This allows you to save energy, and the larger the building, the more significant this figure.
- Possibility to use tinting or coloring glass. Suitable for those cases when it is necessary to create sparing illumination in the room and protect people living or working in it from direct excessive solar radiation in the summer.
- The ability to produce elements of the shape that is suitable for a particular building.
Types of glass used
For the manufacture of glass canopies for a terrace, loggia, front door, many types of building glass are produced that can withstand the adverse effects of weather conditions. The most commonly used types are:
- Multilayer shatterproof. It is considered the safest option for the manufacture of large-sized elements. The material consists of several layers of glass, for which a special organic film is used for gluing. The process completes the lamination. In this case, the film melts and firmly connects the canvases into a single structure. This technology provides the product with strength and safety. ATif the glass plane is damaged, the fragments do not fall down, but are held by the film.
- Reinforced. During production, a wire mesh is laid inside the glass.
- Tempered. Glass is heated and processed in a special way, due to which its strength increases by 10-12 times. During processing, the glass plane does not lose its transparency.
- Self-cleaning. A special coating is applied to the surface of the glass. When daylight hits it, the substance present in the coating begins to destroy organic contaminants, which are then washed away by rain. This option is considered the most convenient and functional, therefore it is most often used for the manufacture of hinged structures and other elements.
Preparation for installation
Installation of this type of construction is quite simple, so you can install a glass canopy to the house with your own hands. To do this, you need to prepare all the materials that will be used in the work:
- The glass itself. This can be either one sheet or several parts if you plan to create a long or wide canopy.
- A metal structure that will serve as the basis for placing glass planes. To create a frame, a round or shaped metal pipe can be used. The only condition is that it must be made of stainless steel. If you use a cheap analogue, its coloring and chrome plating will not help protect the frame from corrosion, so it is unlikelywhether the design will last a long time.
- Fasteners. Its choice depends on the material of the surface to which the frame will be attached - for a wooden, concrete or brick surface, a specially designed type of fasteners is used.
- Tools. This is a ladder, welding, level, grinder and other tools.
- Additional materials. These are those that are needed for the preparation of a concrete mixture designed to fix the supports in the soil.
Features of installation work
First of all, the frame is made and fixed. If this is a small canopy, it is simply attached to the wall of the structure. If the structure is large, supports are needed for which pits are prepared, pipes are installed in them and the foundation is poured with concrete. When it hardens, work continues: the upper part is interconnected so that the size of the resulting structure is less than the size of the glass plane.
If the surface of the glass canopy will consist of several sheets of glass, a support element is provided at the junction. After creating the frame, the glass is laid and fixed. The joints are treated with a substance with a special composition.
