ABSTRACT
Patent glazing is a method of providing glass-panelled structures ranging from a simple domestic glass-house to the largest of covered shopping malls and centres, factories and power stations. Perhaps the most important patent glazing application in the UK, and possibly in the world, is the St Enoch Square shopping centre in Glasgow. A unique glass envelope containing 28 000 sq m of vertical and roof glazing covers the entire shopping and leisure centre, providing a completely controlled internal environment. A typical standard glazing bar is a bulb tee section, providing the combination of stiffness and lightness, with incorporated double drainage channels and built-in grooves to incorporate the spring glazing wings. Many patent glazing applications are acceptable in mill-finish aluminium, but for those applications where decorative considerations demand a more pleasing appearance, then either anodizing or painting may be specified.
