Glass for glare control
Glass for glare control
Harness light to help maximize occupant visual comfort
Harnessing the benefits of natural light is a delicate balance when it comes to unwelcome glare, which can undermine the visual comfort of building occupants. The right glass for glare control can allow abundant light into a space while helping to create more pleasant, practical and comfortable environments.
- What are the benefits of glass for glare control?
- How does glare happen?
- What are the types of glare and how is it measured?
- What architectural features can help reduce glare?
- What type of glass can be used to help control glare?
- What's the difference between anti-glare and anti-reflection glass?
- Applications for glare control glass
What are the benefits of glass for glare control?
Natural daylight
Low-E coatings and tinted glass can selectively filter sunlight, helping to curb excessive brightness without compromising an invaluable connection to the outdoors. The right combination of glass and low-E coating can harness the energy and vibrancy of natural light to help provide a visually soothing and productive atmosphere for occupants. Considering elevation exposure, window-to-wall ratio and the specific level of light transmission helps create an optimal level of light in interior spaces.
Visual comfort
Employed strategically, glass can help regulate excessive sunlight and glare by reducing light transmission and reflections, and create an environment suited for focus or relaxation. Thoughtful integration of glass can strike the right balance between ample daylight and optimal visual comfort.
Solar control
Low-E coatings for glare control can have the added bonus of a strong solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC). These solutions reduce the amount of solar energy that enters a space through the glazing, contributing to a more energy-efficient and comfortable environment where desired.
Aesthetic options
Glass tailored for glare control opens up aesthetic possibilities, empowering architects and designers to incorporate expansive glass façades. Our low-E glass coatings come in various shades of greys, greens and blues. They also offer choices between levels of reflectivity and transparency, or color and neutrality.
Our glare control product range:
Guardian SunGuard®
Our Guardian SunGuard glass products offer different levels of light transmission and solar control, and various aesthetic options to suit many applications. We offer a selection of solutions to help control glare.
How does glare happen?
While access to abundant sunlight is desirable in most cases, overexposure can lead to glare. Glare occurs when an improper balance of visible light travels directly through a window. Light can also reflect off a surface or screen – a particularly bothersome issue when digital tasks are at hand.
In addition to the level of visible light transmitted through the glass, the glare phenomenon depends on various factors such as elevation exposure, window-to-wall ratio, layout of the interior spaces, personal sensitivities and even highly reflective surfaces surrounding a building.
What are the types of glare and how is it measured?
There are two types of glare: discomfort and disability. Discomfort glare hampers optimal visual conditions, making it difficult for occupants to see what they’re doing and feel comfortable in their surroundings. Disability glare impedes vision outright due to the light being overwhelmingly bright.
Glare is subjective and depends on the sensitivity of people. The methods of measuring and controlling glare are based on statistical approaches such as the Daylight Glare Probability (DGP).
What type of glass can be used to help control glare?
While there is no quantitative way to measure the glare control performance of a glazing, taking various project factors into account can help determine the right glass product for the task. In areas where glare is a major concern, such as West- and South-facing elevations or high window-to-wall ratios, we recommend glass solutions with 45% visible light transmission (VLT) or lower.
Glass fabrication options like patterned frit, etched surfaces and laminated interlayers can also help control glare by diffusing light. Our Performance Calculator can combine Guardian Glass substrates and low-E coating solutions with these fabrication options to help you select the right capabilities for your design.
What’s the difference between glass for glare control and anti-reflective glass?
Choosing between glass for glare control and anti-reflective glass depends on the visual objectives of a project. Glass for glare control is designed to help minimize the adverse effects of intense light by tailoring the level of incoming light to a specific project and application. This helps create a more comfortable and workable environment, particularly in spaces with electronic displays. Anti-reflective glass contributes to minimizing reflections that occur when light bounces off a glass surface – allowing more light to pass through the glass and helping to ensure objects within are viewed with clarity and detail. This type of glass is often found on storefronts and museum showcases.
What architectural features can help reduce glare?
Architectural sun shades can offer aesthetic flexibility while providing protection from the sun’s rays. Sun shades are available in a variety of shapes, patterns, finishes and orientations to create dramatic architectural designs. Keep in mind that architectural sun shades can reduce the amount of natural light that enters a building. We recommend combining sun shades with our glass for glare control options to further reduce glare while still allowing in plenty of natural light.
Want to know more about glass and its properties?
Guardian Glass offers you a wealth of technical notes, tools and online learning to enhance your knowledge about glass and help you specify the most appropriate glass for your project. Discover our BIM resources and specification tools on the Resource Hub!
Applications for glare control glass
Glass for glare control is vital for projects or interior spaces where visual comfort is key. This includes working spaces where people spend long hours focusing on specific tasks such as offices, classrooms, computer-equipped rooms, labs, libraries and more.
Curtain wall
Curtain walls are a prime opportunity to use glass for glare control due to the extensive use of glass and sun exposure. In commercial buildings and high-rises, glare-control glass integrated into curtain walls helps provide to the occupants unobstructed panoramic views and minimize discomfort from glare.
Roofs and skylights
Roofs and skylights are often installed on slopes or flat roofs that offer more direct exposure to sunlight. In these overhead applications, excessive light can be especially bothersome. Incorporating glass for glare control helps filter light – preventing extreme brightness while creating well-lit interiors.
Oversized glazing
Although right-sizing glass is key, especially in some orientations, oversized glass installations can benefit greatly from glare control glass. This enables architects to embrace panoramic designs while helping to shield occupants from harsh light.
Eye-catching projects made possible thanks to Guardian Glass solutions for glare control.
Want to see more architectural projects made with glass for glare control? Visit our project section.
Our glare control product solutions:
Need to compare the performance of our products? Visit our product section to search, compare and filter through our wide range of glass solutions
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