INSIDE: Take a Look at What Vitrum 2015 Will Offer
METAL & GLAZING
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THE MAGAZINE OF RECORD FOR ARCHITECTURAL GLASS INDUSTRY LEADERS
VOLUME 50, ISSUE 10 OCTOBER 2015
2015 Annual Guide
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NewsAnalysis: THIN GLASS
Going Up? Elevators Take
Gorilla Glass to the Next Level
atch just the first 60 secreally comes into play,” says Glovins.
onds of Corning’s four“… If [owners and architects] are
year-old video “A Day
going to put displays inside or outMade of Glass,” and it’s clear the comside the elevator with touch capabilpany envisions a future where its speity, that’s our real hit zone.”
cialty glass is literally everywhere.
Epstein says that interactivity with
“When we talk to architects about
touchscreens and active monitors
the video, they’ll ask,‘what’s real, and
behind the glass provide lots of powhat’s in the future?’” says Keith
tential. He adds that one of the
Glovins, Corning’s commercial direclesser-recognized qualities of the
tor of architecture.“We’re working reglass is its “great acoustical properally hard to make that the future.”
ties.” He says the ability to bring in
Smartphones and other touchhigh-quality sound through the glass
screen electronic devices make up
is one of the newer developments on
the majority of the company’s thin
which they’re working.
Gorilla Glass product, but Corning is
And perhaps the product’s most
working to see larger lites of Gorilla
popular trait is its strength. Gorilla
Glass on interior walls throughout
Glass meets ASTM standards for flat
the country.
glass, and with a “qualified panel
A few years ago, Corning honed in
backer,” the product also meets U.S.
on Gorilla Glass for interior archi- Corning is growing the use of its Gorilla Glass standards for indoor use—includtecture. It turned out it was elevators product in architectural applications. Currently, ing CPSC 16, CFR 1201, ANSI Z97.1that would take the product to the elevator cab panel systems, such as the SnapCab 2009, ASTM E84, ANSI maximum
Elevator Interior System, are its primary market. impact Class A and CPSC maximum
next level.
Wall panel manufacturer Elevecimpact level Cat II.
ture originally came to Corning to help plastic with glass, the weight became a
Generally, the maximum size that
implement an LED light system for ele- concern. “Elevators are based on coun- Gorilla Glass can be produced is 51.2
vators. Elevecture needed glass that could terbalance,” he says, “and it affects the inches by 48.4 inches, aside from a few
pass fire and smoke codes, and the glass counterbalance if the glass is too heavy.” special runs Corning has done for parit had initially used for the system was
Gorilla Glass weighs 3.66 kilograms ticular projects. Thickness-wise, 1.5
thick with a “greenish” tint. The company per square meter at its standard 1.5-mil- millimeters is the standard for the arfound its solution in Gorilla Glass. And limeter thickness—more than two times chitectural product.
given its light weight and optical clarity, thinner and lighter than the typical soda
Looking ahead, the company sees
Gorilla Glass can now be found in many lime product used for similar applica- three primary spaces for potential
high-end hotels in New York City.
tions, according to Corning.
growth in the hospitality sector—eleCorning has since found a solid marEvan Epstein, SnapCab’s director of ar- vators, lobbies and bathrooms. Glovins
ket in elevator cabs and began working chitecture, says the clarity of the glass al- says there’s “a natural progression from
with panel system manufacturer Snap- lows for use of “very-high-resolution the elevator to the lobby,” as hotels tend
Cab. SnapCab has developed with images, photographs, logos and different to first spend their money on the things
Corning 12 different standard sizes to types of patterns.”
customers and visitors will see first.
fit 10 of its system models.
In addition, thin glass consumes less
And with their clout in the electronic
So what makes elevators an ideal ap- space, and Gorilla Glass is well-proven sector, a future of smart walls and more
plication for the glass?
in the touch-screen arena.
interactive developments may mean
Glovins says as architects and design“As you start to move from static walls that more Gorilla Glass is on the way.
ers upgraded elevators by replacing to smart walls, that’s where Gorilla Glass
—Nick St. Denis ■
30
Photo:SnapCab
W
USGlass, Metal & Glazing | October 2015
www.usglassmag.com