As contemporary technologies allow to use glass to create weather-resistant and thermal packages, glass façades are becoming more and more popular in urban architecture. Façades, using opaque glass, glazing with pattern, glass blocks or panelling, allow softer, better diffused light into indoor spaces.

Self-cleaning glass, a specific type of glass, degrading soil on its surface and getting rid of it by simple methods – for example, rain water – is a good choice for glass façades with large surface. Construction-wise, one could say that glass has become an independent material. Glass panels don’t need frames any more, thanks to the new tempering and lamination techniques, supported by novel glass fixing methods.

Producers also offer a variety of solar control glass, which minimizes solar heat gain, coming through glasses. Body tinted glass will minimize heat transmission by absorbing part of the thermal energy. Modern glazing technology also allows to make glass with varying light transmission properties, where the variation values depend either on the intensity of light or allow for electrical adjustment. Intensive light will darken photochrome glass while twilight, once arrived, will make it transparent again. Electrochrome glass enables windows to change from totally transparent to completely opaque dark wall by applying DC voltage; glass with different transparency grading is available. Liquid crystal glass also can change from opaque to transparent – we’re speaking of laminated glass with liquid crystal film between the layers, which responds to applied DC voltage by changing transparency.