Der Einsatz von Glas als Konstruktionswerkstoff in der Architektur nimmt stetig zu. Die Glass & Transparency Research Group an der TU Delft befasst sich mit diesem Bereich und entwickelt neuartige strukturelle Glaslösungen mit verbesserter Leistung. Hauptthemen sind die Entwicklung neuer Glasrezepturen, Gussglaskonstruktionen, Glasbrückenkonstruktionen, Glassäulen und Dünnglasanwendungen. The application of glass as a structural material in contemporary architecture is ever increasing. The Glass & Transparency Research Group at TU Delft addresses this domain and develops novel structural glass solutions with enhanced performance. Primary topics are the development of new glass recipes, cast glass constructions, glass bridge constructions, glass columns and thin glass applications.@en

Thin glass – such as commonly applied for displays and touchscreen on electronic devices like smartphone and tablets – offers interesting characteristics for architectural applications. Due to its high strength and small thickness the glass can easily be bent in architecturally appealing curvatures, while the small thickness of the glass offers a significant weight reduction compared to traditional window glazing. This paper explores the potential of thin glass for architectural applications and reports on two thin glass concepts that are currently under investigation at TU Delft. The first concept concerns flexible and adaptive thin glass panels that can change their shape in response to external parameters. The second concept concerns thin glass composite panels in which thin glass facings are combined with (3D printed) core elements to create strong, stiff yet lightweight glass façade panels. From initial design explorations and prototyping, it can be seen that both concepts are very promising and viable for further in depth investigations.@en