Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 4.2
Non-domestic windows
alloy, with blade holders in
polypropylene. Louvre blades are
normally in 6 mm thick glass, under
200 mm wide with a limited range of
patterns, and sealed to the adjacent
blades with weatherstripping when in
the closed position.
Characteristic details
Basic structure
Stone frames
Windows created by rebated stone
mullions, transomes and other
tracery was a technique well known
to medieval craftsmen, and employed
widely in ecclesiastical architecture
and occasionally, from the late
fifteenth century, also in large scale
domestic architecture. Special care is
needed in repair; for example in
respecting the bedding planes of
replacement stone (Figure 4.21).
Conservation methods
cannot be dealt with simply, and
therefore are largely outside the
scope of this topic.
Glazing
In general, larger panes mean
thicker glass, and a broken window
should always call for a
re-assessment of whether the glass
was correctly chosen and installed.
Windows in building types other than
domestic sometimes offer larger
areas suitable for decorative
treatments such as stained glass or
etching (Figure 4.22). See the same
section in Chapter 4.1 for a basic
description of glazing materials.
Cast iron frames
Cast iron frames were introduced
quite early in the Industrial
Revolution although they did not
rival wood windows, either in cost or
popularity. They were widely used in
factories and small industrial
buildings, but also to some extent in
other building types where the
additional costs of non-ferrous
window frames (eg bronze) were not
justified. They reached their zenith in
1851 in the Crystal Palace.
Figure 4.20
A very large double hung timber sash
window used as a shop front (Photograph
by permission of B T Harrison)
Bedding in tracery generally should be at right angles to
thrust, but compromises may be inevitable
This chapter deals with windows
used, for example, in shopfronts,
public buildings, offices, churches
and factories.
Many of the performance
requirements and solutions for non-
domestic windows are similar to
those for domestic windows except
for those relating to size (Figure
4.20), and this can be seen in the case
studies in this chapter. The chapter
therefore does not repeat relevant
items from Chapter 4.1.
Frames of other materials
Large windows, as in shops, are
sometimes to be found framed in
wood but more often than not in
metals such as aluminium or bronze.
Louvred windows, although they
are occasionally found in domestic
construction, are more likely to be
found in non-domestic and, for that
reason, are mentioned here. Frames
are usually in extruded aluminium
Mullions should be naturally bedded,
but are often edge or face bedded to
reduce the number of joints
Figure 4.21
Bedding planes should, wherever possible,
be laid in accordance with the direction of
maximum thrust
