Curved glass panels can create a much more interesting and dynamic appearance to surfaces, roofs or walls than traditional flat glass panels.
Techniques for curving and forming glass curves has improved greatly over the past 20 years and now it is possible to have curved glazing as a toughened, laminated or annealed glass panels.
For a glass panel to be classed as a safety glass the curved glass unit will need to be toughened or laminated. Curved toughened glass is manufactured through a process of heating, curving and rapidly cooling the glass panels to create tensions within the glass panels that increase its strength, its resistance to mechanical forces such as wind and also its resistance to thermal stresses. If ever broken a curved toughened piece of glass will break into small and harmless pebble-like fragments.
When curved glass is toughened there are restrictions on its radius depending on the glass thickness that is needed. If a tighter radius is needed to a curved glass panel then annealed (float) glass panels can be curved and laminated together to form a safety glass.
Curved glass panels can be brought together with thermal spacer bars to create double or triple glazed units for curved insulated glass units to be used externally. Curved glazing can also be coated with all the standard performance coatings such as solar control and low-emissivity coatings as well as more decorative glass finishes like anti-reflective coatings and semi reflective finishes.
Curved glass faces, as those that can be created with curved glass panels, can reduce the harsh cold effect that can be created when using large areas of glass.