Wood may be the classic material in making good doors, but due to developments in the past three decades, doors are no longer limited to being made of wood. Since 80s, various glass doors have come into popular use in residential and public, commercial and corporate settings.
Enter Glass Doors
The first glass doors were set in aluminium frames, which were intended to provide enough support for the glass panels so that they did not crack of break too easily. The downside of using these aluminium frames was that they were not very visually appealing, and some might even say that they were ugly.
Fortunately, since then designers have developed the glass door, such that other materials have come into use with glass, making today’s sliding glass door systems not only very functional, but also beautiful and stylish.
Glass as a design material has become prevalent in commercial establishments. For example, try to go around your town, passing by the various stores, supermarkets, and other business places. If you look at what kind of doors they are using, you’ll probably find that nearly a hundred percent of them use a form of glass door!
Virtually all hospitality establishments now use glass doors. You’ll find them in hotels, restaurants, coffee shops, and many other places of a similar kind.
Offices are now also using architectural commercial wall systems made of glass, although not as universally as in stores, hotels and restaurants. This can be attributed to the fact that a lot still goes on in an office that involves delicate subjects matter that must be kept confidential. Hence, some rooms in the office still use doors made from non-transparent materials.
The Advantages of Glass
Why has glass proliferated so much in all kinds of buildings? To answer this question, we must look at the distinctive qualities of glass.
First, glass is affordable. In a day of large-scale, industrial production glass has become a very appealing material because it is easy to mass-produce. It is also made form a very common material: sand. This stands in opposition to wooden doors, which are usually intricately carved (and thus more difficult and costly to mass produce) and are made from a non-renewable resource: trees. For these reasons, glass doors can cost considerably less than their wooden counterparts.
Second, glass is easy to maintain. Wooden doors have to be varnished in order to protect them from the weathering effects of the environment. They degrade over time because of exposure to changing temperatures, moisture and pests (such as termites). They are also difficult to clean and maintain because one cannot simply use any kind of cleaning material. Glass, on the other hand, does not rot. It doesn’t crack under normal, everyday circumstances. It can be exposed to heat, cold and moisture and not be affected. Its smooth surface also allows it to be cleaned very easily. Even soap and water will suffice to clean a glass panel (although there are specialized window cleaning fluids in the market).
