Innovative glass with variable translucency
PRIVA-LITE® from the Saint-Gobain portfolio.
From the series "Modern office buildings - trends 2022".
Glazing in the hands of architects or interior designers is a unique tool, enabling the creation of design projects that are unique in many respects. Their ever-growing popularity is due, among other things, to the fact that, in addition to providing excellent aesthetic impressions, they allow you to actively create the atmosphere that prevails in the interiors. An example is the innovative PRIVA-LITE® variable-transparency glass from the Saint-Gobain portfolio, which actively guards the intimacy and sense of privacy of its users, giving them the ability to manage the space and adapt it to their current needs.
Privacy in the smart edition
The last several months have redefined most of us' attitudes toward our sense of privacy. The COVID-19 pandemic has made us subconsciously seek asylum in buildings, especially when it comes to office spaces or places where many people are present at the same time. As a result, we can increasingly observe changes in the arrangement of such spaces - after all, it is on the sense of security that the mental comfort, and consequently the ability to concentrate and the efficiency of their users, depends. And it is in this context that active glass with variable translucency can demonstrate its full potential.
The primary task of PRIVA-LITE® glass is the ability to immediately provide a high level of privacy on demand," says Lucja Krzykawska, Marketing Specialist at Saint-Gobain Glass. - It is a laminated glass that uses a film of liquid crystals. Under the influence of electricity, they become "organized" and the sheet becomes transparent. A major advantage of PRIVA-LITE® glass is that, regardless of the translucency mode, it guarantees a high level of natural light access to the interior - the light transmission rate Lt is 77% for the translucent mode and 76% for the frosted mode. This makes it possible to reduce the need for additional artificial light sources. Controlling the transparency modes, as befits a smart solution, is done by remote control or a dedicated mobile app, and the change itself is noiseless and takes less than 0.1 seconds.
So how to use the possibilities of variable transparency glass in practice?
Arrangement on guard for comfort
PRIVA-LITE® variable-transparency glass, Lindhorst Office, Zagorow
© Saint-Gobain Glass
Due to its range of functionalities, glass with variable translucency will work well in practically any project, even the most demanding, creating its modern design, while taking care of the comfort of the current use of the space. It will find its application in the form of partitions, doors and even glass floors. An excellent example of its functionality are projects for the rearrangement of offices, where, due to the new sanitary standards that are the aftermath of the pandemic, as well as the changing expectations of employees related to providing them with a sense of security, open space is being abandoned.
PRIVA-LITE® glass can be used in any place where a sense of privacy should play a key role, such as conference rooms or offices, but thanks to its properties it is possible to separate any functional zone, a perfect example of which are the workplaces we increasingly organize in our homes," says Lucja Krzykawska. - As for wellbeing and the ability to fully concentrate, it should be noted that PRIVA-LITE® also provides a high level of sound insulation - the Rw coefficient of the glass is 38 dB in the PRIVA-LITE® CLASSIC variant.
The popularity of this type of glazing is also due to the virtually unlimited possibilities for creating personalized arrangements.
PRIVA-LITE® is available in twelve color variants and a variety of dimensions - from 200×300 mm to even 1820×3500 mm (in the PRIVA-LITE® XL version)," says Lucja Krzykawska. - Prints can also be applied to the glass sheet, and in opaque mode it can be used as a rear projection screen, turning the glazing into an extremely attractive carrier of advertising content. In addition, the glass is capable of operating in a temperature range of -20°C to 60°C, hence it can be used when creating interactive facades or storefronts, positively influencing the conditions inside the facility, as well as the design of the facade itself.
For the benefit of the planet
Current architectural solutions are expected to care for the environment as much as they care for the comfort of their users. It is the pro-environmental qualities (and the resulting economic benefits) that are another distinguishing feature of glazing with variable translucency.
PRIVA-LITE® glass is characterized by low electricity consumption - in the on-transparency mode it consumes only 2.5 W/m². Proof of the environmental friendliness of this glazing is the Environmental Product Declaration (so-called EPD), granted on the basis of its life cycle analysis (LCA), which allows investors to apply for environmental certificates such as Well, BREEAM or LEED," adds Lucja Krzykawska.
Effectiveness proven in practice
PRIVA-LITE® variable-transparency glass, DLJM Building, Krakow, Poland.
© Saint-Gobain Glass
Variable-transparency glass, thanks to its functionalities, brings enormous possibilities for creating modern arrangements. Offices, hospitals, shopping malls, hotels or private homes - the possibilities of using this type of solution are almost endless.
PRIVA-LITE® glass has been used in dozens of investments both in Poland and around the world, including the DLJM building in Krakow, the Lindhorst Office in Zagórów and the Holiday Inn hotel in Dąbrowa Górnicza. Investors appreciate its versatility, the possibility to adapt the space to the current expectations of its users, as well as a kind of "wow!" effect aroused by the way it works," Łucja Krzykawska concludes.
A sense of security and privacy are among the most important qualities that will be comprehensively taken care of by variable-transparency glass. The combination of aesthetics, functionality and direct impact on improving the well-being of users of a given space - all this makes it an integral part of many realizations.
For more information, visit the company's Saint-Gobain Glass page on the PdA portal.
