Why Glass Is Comparatively an Eco-Friendly Building Material

Glass is a fascinating material. Manufactured from silica sand, soda ash, dolomite, limestone and salt cake at high heat in a furnace it is wonderful that the result is a transparent hard material that looks like solid water. Glass is a common marvel that we certainly take for granted.

Glass' non absorbent and transparent properties make it eminently suitable for use in building construction. In the past our buildings were mostly of wood and brick, they were thus limited to being small, protective, dark and enclosed. Today we favor natural light, big open spaces, good ventilation and air flow, resulting in the tall glass faced modern buildings that are now the norm. These shining structures mirror the changes in our human collective consciousness as well.

It is also helpful that glass is a much more plentiful and cheaper resource than is the traditional wood and metal. In interior finishing such as wall cladding installed in high traffic areas such as lifts, lift lobbies, bathrooms and kitchens, the wear and tear can manifest itself quite soon. In public areas vandals can also mar the beauty of both wood and metal wall cladding and panels too. You need diamonds to scratch and mar the surface of glass however!

Even though ceramic is also a plentiful resource just like glass, it is surprisingly not as durable and long-lasting as a glass installation is - with reference to wall cladding, not flooring of course; although I have done a feature glass floor for one client, I do not normally recommend it. Even if the ceramic tiles do not break or chip, after three to five years these do tend to fade, look old and become dirty, especially in the grouting and this occurs much faster in wet areas such as bathrooms; and most homeowners are well aware that renovations are in order in that time frame.

In this day of environmental consciousness, it makes a lot of sense to consider alternatives. Glass is the inexpensive, eco-friendly alternative to depleting wood resource or metal interior decorative installations in both homes and commercial buildings. With the advent of certain digital print process, consumers can now choose glass wall cladding printed with any full colour image of choice and further enhance the beauty of their interior spaces.

I am glad to share that more Malaysian architects and interior designers are increasingly choosing to use printed glass for use in lifts, lift lobbies, and for pillar and wall cladding as an alternative to wood, stone, metal and ceramic tiles for the reasons stated above. There is also the fact that the radiant shiny reflective property of glass makes its use in these enclosed spaces most suitable as it considerably brightens them and often needs less lighting too.

Glass is also good in any number of interior installations, be it on cabinet doors, partitions, dividers, art pieces, or glass portraits to commemorate very special events such as birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, graduations and more. I say print on your glass and make it an integral feature in the interior of your buildings as well.

Ashley John is an inventive, imaginative entrepreneur who pioneered the decorative glass industry in Malaysia. He invented a simple three step process that uses UVi GLASS proprietary primers to successfully print on glass and other rigid substrate materials, which is now a patented solution. Ashley is now establishing his company, UVi Glass Sdn Bhd, on the international stage with licensees in five countries in Asia.
Find out how you can also become an international licensee here, http://www.uviglass.com

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