[Greenbuilding] glass panels as porch roof?

[LarenCorie]

 From: "Michael O'Brien" <obrien at hevanet.com>

> Even tempered glass I think is iffy.

> if it breaks the falling chunks don't become
> popcorn size until they hit the floor.

Hi Mike

     Tempered glass does break into little pieces, but the little
pieces do not necessarily separate from each other. So, a sheet
of little pieces (sort of like a non-locking jigsaw puzzle) can fall
and will not always separate until they hit something, all at once,
which can be heavy. A person, below the glass, will not be cut
(more than tiny cuts) but they may be hit in the head, and even
knocked unconscious.

> From: "John Salmen" <terrain at shaw.ca>

> I can't see using anything other than safety glass overhead
> (laminated tempered glass with a safety film in the middle
> similar to vehicle windshields).

Hi John;

  Safety (laminated) glass, that is used in car windshields
is NOT tempered glass. Car side and back windows are
tempered, but windshields are not, so that a small crack
or stone chip does not make the windshield so that the
driver can not see through it.

 -Laren Corie-
 Natural Solar Building Design and
 Solar Heating/Natural Cooling/Energy
 Efficiency Consultation Since 1975
 www.ThermalAttic.com  (many new
 photos and pages, coming soon)

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