Laminated Pilkington Planar™ structural glass is ideally suited for horizontal applications such as glass canopies. Glass panels are typically bonded together with “SentryGlas®” ionoplast interlayer from Kuraray* laminate, which allows the architect to have completely exposed edges without worrying about long-term edge stability concerns from exposure to moisture like with PVB interlayers. The glass panels can be silk-screened in any Pilkington standard or custom pattern before being laminated. Virtually any design can be accommodated with digital-printing technology now available for Pilkington Planar™ glass. For more information on SentryGlas® ionoplast interlayer from Kuraray*.
The inherent design flexibility of Pilkington Planar makes it an excellent system for structural glass canopy and roof applications. Exterior framing, that can become a maintenance problem or possibly cause future leaks, is not required. The backup glass canopy structure is required to carry self-weight, snow loads (where applicable), and to resist negative wind pressures through fixing locations. Large spans are possible if underlying purlins are reinforced with cable or tension rod rigging. Laminated glass beam purlins are also an options for ultimate transparency. In some cases, Pilkington Planar™ glass canopies can even be supported by laminated structural glass fin vertical walls. Pilkington Planar™ canopies require a minimum slope of 3 degrees to eliminate ponding on the glass.
W&W Glass are the only authorized glass canopy system suppliers who also make all backup canopy structures available as a completely engineered, sole source package for guaranteed performance of the complete Pilkington Planar canopy system. Contact our team of architectural design specialist for specific application recommendations.
*SentryGlas® is a registered trademark of E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company and used under exclusive license by Kuraray
