Glass buildings:Not for India

Construction  of buildings using the glass is fantasy rather than the ease of construction or efficiency associated with it.There is a wide spread  notion that glass is energy efficient ,reduces the construction materials but apart from the cosmetic look to the building it does less behalf of efficiency or material.For the cold countries its suit on the front of climate scenario.The very nature of the glass is trapping of the heat there by  reduces the electricity bill for warming up of building in cold countries.Countries like India which are in tropics gets maximum amount of sunlight in a year are not suitable for glass used structures as it traps the sunlight and heats up the interior structure as well as electricity bill go up for the cooling the building.Delhi for example receives 2668 hours of sunlight against London that receives only 1480 hours of sunlight in a year.


Glass companies often argues that they are using double glazing with air gap in between to insulate but still far from the required standards.single glazing material allows 90% of heat ,double glazing glass 80% of the heat where as costly triple glazing glass allows 50 % of heat.Glass  is not a environmental friendly material as it consumes average 20 MJ per Kg where as brick consumes 1Mj per kg.

Recycling is also a wary  and huge transportation cost unlike bricks which can be procured locally .Glass is expensive compare to other building material, A square meter of glass cost 1200 to 7000 depending on technology whereas a good quality brick per square meter costs less than 1000rs.


Glass used construction also has serious security issue in the incidents of  fire(Easily melting phenomenon) and  very prone in the case of explosions .
A lay man expects security,comfortable environment ,cost effectiveness from a building but glass fails in all these fronts .Might be rich ,technocrat and intellectual people are not expecting this as  they have high affinity towards glass used buildings .