Tinted & Reflective Glass
Tinted and reflective glasses are designed to compliment building facades and improve efficiency by reducing solar transmittance. ITI Glass stocks tinted and reflective glasses from several suppliers.
With striking visual aesthetics, tinted and reflective glasses are widely specified for a variety of commercial glazing applications. Both products achieve improved solar performance values compared to clear glass, resulting in greater efficiency.
Reflective Surface Application & Aesthetics
Reflective coating surface application enables building designers to create a variety of aesthetics. Specifying a durable reflective coating, like PPG SolarCool®, for an inboard (second surface) or outboard (first surface) application changes the visual appearance of the glass. (While Solarcool is durable enough for first-surface applications, not all reflective coatings are recommended for outboard exposure.)
When reflective coatings are glazed facing inboard, the coating reflects less visible light. Inboard reflective coatings produce an understated, warmer reflective aesthetic with greater visibility of the tinted substrate. Outboard surface applications produce a crisp, metallic aesthetic that reflects greater amounts of visible light and mutes the color of the tinted substrate.
Building designers should consider the surface application of reflective coatings based on a project’s desired aesthetic and solar performance. While inboard coatings reflect less visible light from the exterior, outboard coatings achieve better Solar Heat Gain Coefficient values and afford clearer views to the outside with less interior reflectance.
Spectrally-Selective Glass
The United States Department of Energy considers any glass that achieves a Light to Solar Gain (LSG) ratio of 1.25 or greater to be spectrally selective, a desirable characteristic for buildings in climates where interior cooling is most important. Uncoated clear glass and many darker tints cannot achieve this performance mark. Spectrally-selective performance is achieved by some tinted and reflective glasses. PPG Industries' line of spectrally-selective tinted glasses includes Azuria™ (1.56 LSG), Caribia® (1.55 LSG), Atlantica™ (1.50 LSG) and Solexia (1.41 LSG). Many low-E coatings also achieve LSGs of 1.25 and greater.
PPG Vistacool Reflective Glass
Vistacool™ is a subtle-reflective glass that incorporates high level of visible light transmittance with a color-enriching property that amplifies the tint of the glass substrate beneath. As a member of PPG Industries Certified Fabricator Program, ITI Glass is certified to fabricate Vistacool performance reflective glasses. The product cerates a crisp exterior appearance and is available with PPG's Azuria, Caribia, Pacifica™ and Solargray® tints.
