Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

How do we specify glass railings?

  • By Dan Stachel
  • 06/01/19

Glass design and engineering analysis can be inconsistent across projects. There are several possible reasons for this including the treatment of guardrails as a product rather than an engineered structure, general inexperience with glass as an engineered material, and limited access to glass design software in the U.S.

To ensure you have all the pertinent details, ask suppliers to provide you with a comprehensive proposal, including detailed takeoffs with specific inclusions or exclusions for each railing style within the project scope. These details should include aspects such as finish, linear footage, structural attachment, and makeup. Additionally, request a submittal package that includes 3D renderings based on the architectural and structural specifics for the project.

High-definition surveying (HDS) technology offers tremendous benefits over conventional surveying. It allows for the capture of thousands of critical measurements with precision accuracy, thereby significantly reducing the need for fabrication rework. It also offers a much faster track to the manufacturing process by eliminating the risk of human error and saving weeks of manual field measuring.

Regardless of the method selected for analysis, there are two key principles that should be considered when specifying glass railing: the elastic properties of laminate interlayers (and how they change with temperature and load duration), and understanding that local stresses—e.g., contact materials, support size, and hole size—are critical. In light of these varying factors, it’s recommended that a good finite element program be used to accurately determine glass stresses instead of any manual analysis.

Glass analysis is the most critical aspect of specifying point-supported glass due to life-safety factors. It’s essential that those who have a stake in a project understand this and take appropriate measures to ensure that building code requirements are met.

This article originally appeared in the College Planning & Management June 2019 issue of Spaces4Learning.

About the Author

Dan Stachel is vice president of Trex Commercial Products (www.trexcommercial.com).

Featured

  • Pitzer College

    Designing for Change in Higher Ed Learning Environments

    Higher education will continue to evolve, and learning environments must evolve with it. By prioritizing adaptable infrastructure, thoughtful reuse, strong energy performance, and wellness-centered design, campuses can create spaces that support learning today while remaining flexible for the future.

  • South Carolina District Starts Construction on $50M Middle School Renovation

    The Aiken County Public School District in North Augusta, S.C., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the $50-million renovation and expansion of North Augusta Middle School, according to a news release. The project’s funding comes from the 2024 renewal of a one-cent sales tax approved by local voters.

  • University of Arizona Approves New Residence Hall

    The Arizona Board of Regents recently approved plans for a new residence hall at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Ariz., according to a news release. The new facility is scheduled to open in fall 2028 and have the capacity for more than 1,200 students, enforcing a new university expectation that all first-year students live on campus.

  • Massachusetts K–12 District Selects Architect for New Junior High

    Swansea Public Schools in Swansea, Mass., recently announced that it has selected Finegold Alexander Architects to design a new junior high school for the district, according to a news release. The firm will create the Feasibility Study and Schematic Design for Joseph Case Junior High School after a lengthy selection process by the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA).