Glass Walls

Our glass walls and demountable walls are designed for open water and ice jam flooding. Our mechanical and structural engineers are designing each wall according to Client’s requirements. IBS has a strong research and development facility and a design department to help Clients worldwide.

Fixed glass walls are increasingly being used in places where movable flood defences cannot be deployed quickly enough. The big advantage of this variant is that it provides both effective protection and unobstructed views of the body of water concerned. Aesthetic design and safety come together in the IBS glass wall. It provides a beautifully designed and yet highly robust means of flood protection, which has successfully proven itself in major projects in Cologne (Germany), Decin (Czech Republic) and in Northwich and Leeds (both in the UK).

Glass used for disaster-prevention purposes is normally either float glass or single-pane safety glass (known by its German initials "ESG"). The flexing strength of ESG is normally four to five times greater than that of float glass. If excessive strain does cause it to break, it disintegrates - in contrast to float glass - into crumbly, loosely connected particles with few sharp edges. Individual panes of both types of glass can be supplied in thicknesses of 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 15 and 19 mm.

In order to achieve the required load-bearing capacity of the glass elements used, we work with laminated safety glass consisting of two or more panes and intermediate layers of transparent, tear-resistant polyvinyl butryal (PVB) film.

The frame structure consists of extruded long profiles made of AlMgSi with pressed-in EPDM seals. The frame structure holds the edges of the glass on two, three or four sides. The top edge is protected by a covering roof structure. The pane of glass secured in this way is held by two floating posts. This sealing/frame structure is designed to allow the trouble-free replacement of individual panes. It also allows the frame to be reused. The posts are secured by gravity to concreted-in anchor plates (made of material 1.4301), which transfer the load to the foundation structure.

Efficient glass-element dimensions result in lengths ranging from 1.75 to 2.5 metres and heights of between 0.8 and 1.2 metres. Specified load capacity is the main determining factor in this respect. The cost per square metre of a glass wall of this type lies between €1,000 and €2,000.

If you want to know more about our glass walls and demountable walls feel free to contact us!