For building owners and architects planning to build or renovate at heights of 10 metres or more, wind pressure inevitably affects the structure of the building. Here we offer guidance on resisting wind loads, together with the glass types and thicknesses prescribed by the relevant ministerial regulations.

Glass Thickness and Supporting Structure

The thickness of glass on a tall building ultimately depends on the structure that supports it, such as aluminium framing or another facade system. As a rough guide, thicknesses typically fall between 10 and 20 millimetres.

Laminated Construction Is Essential

The glass must consist of two or more layers bonded together, with an interlayer between them that holds each pane firmly in a single sheet. It must protect against, and reduce the risk of, injury from sharp fragments when the glass breaks, and the interlayer must keep broken pieces from falling out when the glass cracks or fractures.

Put simply, safety glass is required in every glazed element of a high-rise building.