what's kind of glass for floor to ceiling windows ? how strong&safe are they ? how long we should replace them?

[fresh]

 

I don't like floor to ceiling windows, because i never feel they are very safe.

what if they are broken and fell down ? so i ask these Qs.

 

there was an accident.

(CNN) -- One woman was killed and another injured after they fell from a 10th-floor window at an Atlanta hotel, authorities said Saturday.According to Atlanta Police, witnesses said the two were attending a birthday party early Saturday at the W Atlanta-Midtown.

The pair were "play fighting" when they accidentally crashed through the window around 3:15 a.m., according to a preliminary investigation, said department spokesman Officer John Chafee. It was unclear Saturday where they landed.

 

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/US/05/28/georgia.hotel.fall/index.html

 

"It's been a nightmare for me," Hamilton told the newspaper. "How do two girls who weigh maybe 120 pounds a piece, standing at the window, build up enough force to not only break it but go out immediately?"

 

http://abcnews.go.com/US/model-lashawna-threatt-dies-fall-atlanta-hotel-window/story?id=13728412

 

Thanks.

Edited March 28, 2017 by fresh

[Phi for All]

Tempered safety glass, possibly even laminated. You can break it if you're really trying, but it's designed for most normal shocks. It can't be too rigid or it causes too much stress on the mountings. You may even see the glass "breathing" (flexing in and out) depending on your building's ventilation system. All perfectly normal.

 

From the height you're at, even wood falling out would be dangerous to those below, but that shouldn't be your concern. It's the creepy part about standing right next to the edge, isn't it? You probably wouldn't get that close to a high drop off without that glass in place, and it seems too fragile to lean against.

[fresh]

yes, it seems too fragile to lean against. why house builders always use laminated tempered glass ? i don't see any advantage of it.

It is too hot in summer and cold in winter.

my house has floor to ceiling windows. The rooms with it are much hotter in summer than one without it, and colder than ones without it in winter.

Glass absorbs heat quickly in summer and can't keep house warm in winter.

why they are widely used ?

[Phi for All]

yes, it seems too fragile to lean against. why house builders always use laminated tempered glass ? i don't see any advantage of it.

You might not be able to break it even if you jumped against it (don't). You'd need to hit it a few times with a big hammer to first score it and then shatter it. Safety glass breaks up into small bits rather than jagged shards, and lamination keeps the bits together. Auto windshields are like that, and even when broken tend to come out as a whole piece.

 

my house has floor to ceiling windows. The rooms with it are much hotter in summer than one without it, and colder than ones without it in winter.

why they are widely used ?

You should definitely have the windows treated to reflect in the summer and let in the light in the winter. I'm surprised a high-rise building wouldn't do that just for the savings in HVAC.

 

Glass absorbs heat quickly in summer and can't keep house warm in winter.

why they are widely used ?

 

You use them when the view demands it. They also make a room look endlessly huge, which is a bonus for city dwellers.

"It's been a nightmare for me," Hamilton told the newspaper. "How do two girls who weigh maybe 120 pounds a piece, standing at the window, build up enough force to not only break it but go out immediately?"

 

The video picture shows that it wasn't tempered safety glass (note the long jagged pieces). No lamination either. Good reason to have it.

 

Apparently they leaned back against the glass and it shattered. Beforehand, they had been play-fighting, and I wonder if one of them didn't score or crack the glass during that mock fight.

[Bender]

We were given a choice between regular glass and more expensive safety glass for all windows extending below a height of 90 cm. If we wanted the regular ones, we would have had to sign a document stating that we take responsibility and that we are aware that insurance companies won't cover accidents.

 

Obviously, we decided on the safety glass, not for the danger of falling through, but to avoid large sharp shards.

Edited March 29, 2017 by Bender

[fresh]

most of windows in our house are tempered glass, no matter how strong the glass is, it will be broken under certain circumstances. 

last month my neighbor's glass suddenly fell down from 10 floors above ( in which floor was not to be told by management department) and smashed a car parking down the block.

It is so dangerous! the reason is due to cold weather (only 0 Celsius )as property management department claimed. i don't believe the so called reason!