Masonry Magazine October 1962 Page. 5
Exterior night view of wall constructed of Pittsburgh Corning Intaglio Gloss Wall Units.
INTAGLIO
Glass Unit:
Breakthru
In Design
Possibilities
An all-glass building unit combining a variety of architectural advantages in one product has been announced by the Pittsburgh Corning Corporation. Called the Intaglio Glass Wall, the new product is available in square and rectangle shapes with recessed design areas of crystal-like clear pattern glass. The unit's raised portion has a textured finish fired with opaque concrete gray ceramic color. Both sides of the unit are similarly treated.
Applications of the Intaglio Unit include both interior and exterior walls of public, commercial, industrial and residential structures.
Robert E. Buckley, Vice President of Sales of Pittsburgh Corning, pointed out that the material offers a "one operation" wall structure with interior and exterior decorative effects provided by the same material. In addition, since the interior of the hollow units is at a partial vacuum, the wall has an insulation value equal to that of twelve inches of concrete.
Some inspiration for the new unit came from the metal or concrete sun screens which have seen widespread use in the past several years.
"A wall built of Intaglio units breaks up the sun's direct rays, offers a strong design element, and still retains the cost savings of a single wall," Mr. Buckley pointed out. "In essence," he commented, "glass and grill are now one unit."
The ceramic finish sprayed on the raised portions of both faces is fired at high temperature to assure permanence. This gray finish blends with the mortar used to erect the units, and tends to eliminate any sharp delineation between them.
Although a portion of the Intaglio surface is opaque, the clear glass areas have a light transmission rating of 20 to 40 per cent. The inside of the clear areas is patterned to permit even diffusion of light without glare, and the texture is so designed that there can be no focusing effect.
Weathering tests have shown that the ceramic finish on the opaque portions cannot be damaged by acids, alkalis, sulphides or abrasion, and will not fade in even the brightest sunlight.
The unit has an average sound reduction of 38 decibels, about the same as the difference in sound level between an average factory and a quiet home.
NRY
October, 1962
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