Glass Domes in Modern Architecture

 There is a dome-like building component - a masonry arch. These excellent masonry civilizations play an irreplaceable role in modern dome buildings. According to the structure, it can be divided into mesh dome, tension dome, suspension dome and air-supported dome. According to the material, it can be divided into masonry dome, metal dome, membrane dome, glass dome and wooden dome. This time, we will share a most novel glass dome excellent case: China Port Museum.

The most distinctive glass dome building is undoubtedly the China Port Museum in Ningbo, Zhejiang. The three glass domes are composed of three modules on the roof, which are irregular elliptical spherical hyperbolic structures. The main frame of the glass dome is an aluminum alloy skeleton, and the force frame is a Steel structure. The glass skylight panel is made of ultra-white tempered laminated glass and external glass. There is a decorative frame composed of aluminum alloy tubes of different sizes.

There are also many types of glass film materials, so let's simply share the types of glass.

① Tempered glass:

The strength, tensile strength and impact resistance of tempered glass are much higher than ordinary glass. Tempered glass windows are not easy to break. Even if they break, they will break into particles without sharp angles, which greatly reduces the harm to the human body.

② Frosted glass skylight: 

It is made by frosting the original plate glass. The general thickness is less than 9mm, and the thickness is mostly 5~6mm.

③ Sandblasted glass: 

The performance is basically similar to frosted glass, except that frosting is changed to sandblasting. Because the two are visually similar, they are often mistaken.

④ Flower glass: 

It is a kind of original plate glass made by calendering. Its characteristics are light-transmitting and opaque, and it is mostly used in decoration areas such as toilets.

⑤ Gauze glass: 

It is a kind of impact-resistant original plate glass made by calendering method, in which metal wire or metal mesh is embedded in the glass plate. When hit, it will only form radial cracks and will not fall and injure people. Therefore, it is mostly used in high-rise buildings and factories with strong vibration.

⑥ Double-layer glass:

 It is mostly used to keep two pieces of glass at a certain distance by gluing. The gap is dry air, and the periphery is sealed with sealing materials. It is mainly used in decoration projects with sound insulation requirements.

⑦ Original plate glass: 

The most common type of glass, with specifications of 5~6mm glass, mainly used for windows, doors and small-area light-transmitting shapes on exterior walls.