TRAFFICABLE GLASS ROOFS PHILIP KING & EDITH MUELLER Arup Facade Engineering, London, England ABSTRACT A regular theme amongst the architects’ concepts that pass through Arup Facade Engincering’s offices seems recently to be large, near flat glass roofs that double as trafficable decks. These have often been for pedestrian access although there have also been some which required access for vehicles. The glass units that have been sought have been panel sized. Clearly this is a very demanding application for both the glass and its supports. It is not simply a question of taking a standard curtain wall suite and turning it onto its side. There are also issues to be considered about whether glass roof decks are a sensible thing to do or whether they represent a triumph of technology over common sense. This paper explores these issues and discusses aspects of performance for such roofs INTRODUCTION Glass is capable of providing a trafficable surface. There have been a number of examples of glass tread staircases and footbridges. Glass has been used successfully for discotheque floors. Glass lenses have been used for pavements and roofs. Glass is also used in such demanding applications as aquaria walls . Hydrostatic pressure is resisted at the joints and conditions of constant immersion are met. All the ingredients for trafficable glass roof decks seem to exist. All that is needed is courage and the bringing together of existing technologies. Two examples of recent schemes illustrate how architects are exploring the concept in individual ways: © The National Glass Centre is a competition winning scheme for a visitor centre, working museum and industry showcase in Sunderland, England by Gollifer Associates. The building will house exhibitions and glass making crafts. The most striking feature is the roof. This is a glass ramp. The public are free to wander up to a viewing platform overlooking the River Wear. Looking down through the roof on which they are standing, they will be able to see the activities taking place in the workshops below. «The second example is a competition entry for a railway station in Stuttgart by Erick van Egeraat Associated Architects from Rotterdam, Holland. The scheme sought to create a civic space above a railway station and transport interchange. Glass was to be the predominant material between the two. It would form the roof of the station and the ground surface of the civic space. Glass was to be used in a manner similar to stone paving, with variety and solidity. The intention was not to over exploit transparency but instead to take the translucent and reflective qualities of glass and use them for visual effect. Daylight would be admitted to the station allowing feelings of space and shelter to be combined. The type of glass, the support structure and the surrounding buildings would bring vitality to the space within the station by casting shadows, admitting shafts of light, reflecting images, refracting patterns and allowing distorted or clear glimpses of outside activities. These effects would change constantly during the day. The night time 107appearance was very important, Seen from outside the roof deck would glow and benefit adjacent buildings; seen from inside a semi opaque night time appearance was sought. Crisp reflection or black hole like appearances were undesirable SYSTEMS FOR TRAFFICABLE GLASS ROOFS, A completely flat surface would be impossible and an unwise thing to do, ‘There must be a nominal fall on the roof and provision for disposing of rainwater. Glazing Systems to provide glass roof decks have two key parts - glass panels and the joints between them. ‘The glass panels are discussed further under the heading ‘glass types and performance’. The joints are covered primarily in the sections on ‘weather exclusion” and “movements and tolerances’. ‘The joints between the panels coincide with the secondary structure that supports the roof deck. The joints and the secondary structure may even be integrated into the same element, Primary and secondary structure in the examples encountered has been steelwork There are some proprietary low pitch glass roof systems available. To some extent these can be used as a basis for adaptation into a system for a trafficable deck although they will need modifications. However, in many cases it may be better to design a bespoke system speci to the needs of the project. This is particularly so when the area is large. LOADING Design loads for pedestrian traffic decks include amongst other things self weight, assembled crowds, wind and snow loads, and concentrated loads (perhaps from a scaffold being badly erected). It is also important to consider the likely duration of the loading as the strength of glass varies in relation to this. Pethaps the heaviest load that will happen is when panels are removed and replaced. Glass panels are heavy, particularly given the thicknesses needed Delivery and lifting loads and the stacking of panels adjacent to the work area produce high loading. For a recent pedestrian access project, the design live loads were taken as a 5.0KN/sq m. uniformly distributed load and (separately) a concentrated load of 3.6KN acting on an area of 75mm diameter at mid span of the glass panel (short term) and 2.0kN acting on a 1 square area (long term). The concentrated load cases were the more onerous of these conditions. The criteria for the behaviour of the glass panels under these loads was that they should sustain no permanent deformation or damage. mm More onerous cases for the loading arise where fire brigade access is required across the roof. Ics probably too much to expect for such a roof to carry the loads ofa fire engine laden with water. GLASS TREATMENTS AND FI SHES For spans of 1.25m and loads as described above for pedestrian applications, the thickness of glass has been calculated to be at least 30mm. Some systems use glass at 40mm, Calculations must be done in each case and it is prudent if these are supplemented by load testing to verify the performance 108,The glass is laminated heat strengthened glass rather like an anti bandit glass. The component thicknesses are calculated such that they are available in a heat strengthened condition (if too thick the glass self toughens in the heat strengthening process); and such that each component layer is capable of carrying the design load, at least for a reasonable period of time. Thus, there is redundancy in the system. It is desirable to use a heat strengthened glass rather than fully toughened so that in the event of cracking some residual strength might remain in one direction in the cracked layer. Toughened glass on the other hand would fragment with no strength in any direction. The intention behind this approach is that the worst case is a cracked panel and there is minimal risk of a panel falling from its frame Other reasons for choosing a heat strengthened glass as opposed to annealed are to allow the baking process for applying a frit finish and to provide resistance to thermal stress in sunshine. Resistance to impact is also a factor. Skateboarders, hailstones, stiletto heels and vandalism are obvious sources. There have been cases of birds crashing into glazed roofs and it has been suggested that this is due to birds in flight mistaking movement seen through the glass below for fish beneath water. In response to this they attempt to catch the fish by diving into the roof! Whether this is true or not, birds do drop shellfish and other objects and these provide a source of impact. A glass build up that is similar to an anti bandit glass should resist such impacts well. However, there is a limit to the resistance glass can provide to a determined vandal. Security guards and lighting are a more effective solution than the choice of materials used, There are many possibilities for surface finishes and other effects with the glass. These will be driven by the aesthetics and the performance requirements. Finishes can be used to influence the slip resistance, cleanability, appearance, feel underfoot, vision and many other aspects. They include the use of patterned interlayers, body tints, reflective treatments, heat reflecting qualities, insulation, fritting, etching, sandblasting and casting. It is important though when choosing these that they are compatible with heat and cutting treatments and strength requirements for the glass. WEATHER EXCLUSION This is primarily about how the system behaves at the joints. There will be a desire for joints to be flush with the surface of the glass. They can be sealed with silicone to avoid water and. debris entering the joints and to withstand, to some extent, traffic. It is desirable for most of the rainwater to drain at the surface but itis inevitable that some will pass the surface seals. For this reason there must be some provision for secondary drainage. The seals that close glass panels to secondary drainage channels, and separate outside from inside have generally been e.p.d.m. or polychloroprene preformed gaskets, ideally welded at joints. It is not sufficient for the panels simply to sit on these, There should instead be a ‘means of clamping the glass panels down onto them so that a seal pressure is created in the gasket. In order to avoid any loss of this seal pressure near corners it is better if the gasket curves around the corner without a joint rather than being a mitred right angle. These are the same principles as those employed for watertight hatches in marine applications. It is a possibility that the gaskets can be integrated into the design of a continuous gutter to provide secondary drainage. The advantage of this approach is that the gutter can then be isolated from movements in the secondary structure that might otherwise cause crevices to open through which leakage would be possible.In the design of most other forms of cladding, the achievement of effective pressure equalisation is most important. In flat applications its significance is debatable. More important is resistance to the passage of water moving under gravity, possibly with significant hydrostatic pressure. Also relevant to this is the fact that wind blowing across a flat area tends to produce suction forces on the surface rather than positive pressures that would drive water inwards. For this reason flood testing rather than curtain wall testing techniques is perhaps more relevant. MOVEMENTS AND TOLERANCES Movements and tolerances will result from the following sources: © Primary structure movements (settlement, deflections, sway, thermal effects) © Primary structure tolerances (fabrication and assembly) * Secondary structure movements (mainly deflection and thermal expansion) © Secondary structure tolerances (fabrication and assembly) © Glass panel and joint movements (deflection and thermal expansion) © Glass panel and joint tolerances (fabrication and assembly) Movements will concentrate at the joints between components and this could cause crevices to open weakening the watertightness. Tolerances will, even with the highest levels of control be relatively large in the site erected support structure. The tolerances on factory made glass and aluminium panels and joint components will be much tighter. There must be a means of adjustment that can reconcile these different levels of tolerance into a uniform finish plane. It is very important to have a uniform finish plane in the final roof finish. This is to avoid ponding but more importantly, because even slight discrepancies in level will visually be very noticeable, For this reason there is a need for adjustment devices capable of three way movement. Of course, a significant source of movement will be the deflections imposed in the support structure as the panels are placed. Adjustment devices must be coarsely adjusted initially before placing the panels and then finely adjusted afterwards. They must then be locked off to prevent further inadvertent movement. A screw threaded jack type pedestal can be used for vertical alignment. Horizontal alignment is provided for separately So far as possible, it is desirable to avoid having significant in plane forces generated in the roof. The glass itself must be isolated from these. If they are present in the secondary structure, perhaps as a result of sway in. the building, then the support pedestals must be designed to isolate the glass panels CLIMATES AND MICROCLIMATE The lighting effects have been discussed earlier. Along with natural light, there will be significant thermal effects. Solar gain from radiant heat is a huge issue. Also significant in ‘many climates are heat losses outward by conduction. There are condensation issues associated with this. The thermal and condensation issues could probably all be overcome ‘one way or another for instance by the use of specialist glass and finishes: opacifiers, blinds, canopies and shading devices; mechanical cooling, trace heating and/or multiple glazing However, the cost of these measures could be huge and too much for glass roofs to be used in many parts of the world. It might be an exciting further development to flood some of these Horoofs with shallow water (though perhaps not if they are to be trafficable). This could solve some of the problems and create some interesting visual effects at the same time! If none of the above measures are to be adopted, the use of large areas of glazed roof is probably precluded except where the climate is forgiving or the building's nature is such that these issues do not arise i.e. warm but overcast climates and hot dry activities that generate a surplus of heat but not much moisture. SLIP RESISTANCE Testing is essential to assess performance in this respect. Glass in its normal float condition is unlikely to provide a sufficiently slip resistant surface for its use in such applications, especially if wet or frosty conditions are considered. It may prove necessary to restrict access to the roof under certain weather conditions. Etching and other methods of surface finishing for glass generally will only be expected to give slight improvement and may be incompatible swith strength and heat treatments of the glass. Proprietary systems exist for applying slip resistant frit to the glass surface such as those from Eckelt in Austria, These appear to offer a solution, ACOUSTICS Externally, sound c dissipate into space so acoustics are not usually an issue. Underneath the roof, acousties are an issue and for buildings where high sound quality is important this may make the choice of a glass roof an unwise choice. Glass presents a hard surface and will increase reverberation times. Noise transmission from outside to inside and vice versa will largely be determined by the performance of the glass. The glass in roof deck applications will be relatively thick. This will provide a reasonable performance against high frequency sound. The performance of glass against the transmission of low frequency sound will however be limited. FIRE ‘The approach to fire resistance has largely been based on sprinklered buildings and attention to evacuation procedures, Under the requirements for fire safety in buildings in England and Wales, there is generally not a requirement for a structure that supports only a roof to be fire protected. If sufficient measures can be introduced so that a fire is detected early before it has had a chance to develop, and adequate alarm and evacuation measures exist on the trafficable roof then it is arguable that it quickly becomes only a roof and not a trafficable deck. The above may not always be applicable. The needs of the fire brigade need to be considered. In particular, if they need access onto the roof in order to fight a fire in the building, this approach may not be sensible. Whatever approach is taken, the fire brigade need to be made aware of the behaviour of glass in fire so that they may safeguaril fire-fighters. Testing should be carried out on a prototype in order to determine satisfactory performance. mHUMAN PERCEPTION OF STANDING ON GLASS AND BENEATH IT IN SUCH APPLICATIONS Important factors that need to be considered are as follows: * Perception of glass as a weak material can largely be addressed by the appearance of the glass, Transparency promotes unease. Feelings of being suspended in space or walking on an invisible floor are unpleasant for many people. A dense frit on the glass or a translucent finish give an appearance of solidity to wary users. At night, this important, © Perception that the surface will be slippery can largely be addressed by the tactile nature of the glass surface. Testing is essential in every case, but assuming that the surface is in fact. not too slippery, the public can be given confidence with a slightly gritty feel underfoot. * Deflection. There are two aspects to this. Firstly, the glass must be designed so that it does not spring underfoot. This is largely to do with thickness of glass, span and the effects of the gaskets, The second aspect by which deflection can cause concern is by visual effect, Relatively small deflections in glass can appear large when judged by the changing distortion in reflected images. * Modesty. Translucent or heavily fritted glass can overcome this issue. Highly reflective surfaces would also be unwise. Not everyone will be convinced by these measures. It is important that there is a choice. As ‘well as glass surfaced areas there should always be an alternative route to all destinations that does not require glass to be walked across. Of course there will be those who delight in such spaces. Skateboarders particularly come to mind. This can lead to damage to the roof as well as damage to the skateboarders! Measures to prevent such activities from taking place are strongly advisable, BUILDABILITY It is desirable to minimise the amount of work that must be done on site. Glass panels and joints should, so far as possible be prefabricated. All that is needed then is to handle the component parts to their positions and join them together. In order to do this the glass should be factory bonded into permanent carrier frames. Critical seats should not be made on site The units will by their nature be heavy. Additionally, they need to be manoeuvred into a close fitting hole. This introduces a risk of trapped finger and lifting type injuries. For this reason, designs should feature lifting points or be within the ability of glass suction cups to lift safely Designs that require access only to one side for fixing have advantages over those that need access to both sides. 12MAINTENANCE AND DURABILITY If maintenance is undertaken regularly. more serious problems can be prevented. The factors that are likely to influence the need for maintenance are as follows: + rainfall litter # snow, ice, frost © abuse + foliage © vandalism © UV. and heat © organic growth © movement # deposits and damage by birds ‘© wear and tear # factors within the building Secondary drainage must be kept clear to prevent blockage and the risk of hydrostatic pressures. Dirt on the surface may make it more slippery and provide an abrasive that will Surface seals are the most susceptible part of the system. Whilst not critical, their failure would increase the demands on the secondary drainage system and allow larger dirt and debris to enter and possibly create obstruction, Surface seals should be checked and repaired regularly. Clearance of snow and ice should not be done by scraping or salt. It is best if it can be left to melt with time. Access for cleaning the inside needs to be considered in relation to the space planning, cost The prices for low pitch glass roof decks will reflect the components and technology that goes into them. They must include a generous allowance for development and testing. For the moment, they will also reflect risks perceived by industry in doing something ambitiously innovative, Based on recent enquiries to industry, prices have ranged between £650 and £750 per square meter. This should be compared to £250 per square meter that one might expect to pay for a good quality conventional curtain wall system used vertically. CONCLUSIONS It is evident that the basis for building large, near flat glass roof’ that double as trafficable decks will be debatable in most cases. Concerns that need careful consideration at an early stage include the performance, the maintenance requirements, the costs and the risks that are associated with such an idea. All these things appear to be surmountable but this can be expensive. Compromises on these to save money are very dangerous The architectural objectives that are being pursued can be stunning. Given the right project, and a skilfully designed system the idea can be realised. The observation can be made that the idea of flush glass facades achieved by structural silicone glazing was probably at a similar stage twenty years ago but has now become commonplace. 13na