Privacy glass was once all or nothing, either frosted or etched opaque glass, or you had conventional transparent glass and sacrificed some of your privacy. This is no longer the case, thanks to the advances in the use of interlayer technology by glass processors.
Modern privacy glass solutions for both domestic housing and corporate interiors are more versatile, thanks an innovative type of LCD interlayer, which allows you to switch from transparent to opaque at the touch of a button. Liquid crystals within the interlayer allow you to enjoy the best of both worlds. When an electric current is passed through the interlayer, the liquid crystals align in a pattern to allow light to pass through the glass panel, making it transparent. However, when the current is switched off, the crystals will settle in random patterns which block the light, creating an opaque barrier. At the touch of a button, or even at the touch of an app icon, an interior space is transformed.
Switchable glass is popular in corporate settings, board rooms and senior executive offices. In high value domestic and commercial settings, especially in minimalist interior designs switchable LCD glass can also be used in place of window dressings, and even to help reduce solar gain, providing instant relief from glare.
Switchable LCD glass also provides some key security benefits, as it is usually made by laminating two toughened glass together with a switchable interlayer. Toughened laminated glass is already a good security product which stands up well to wear and tear. If the glass panel is damaged, the interlayer will hold the majority of glass fragments in place, largely eliminating the hazard of falling glass. There is not usually a complete breach in the glass, so the panel can often remain securely in place until it can be replaced.
Privacy can also be a defence against crime. We can make the contents of showrooms, shops and homes less visible to the potential thief. We have even seen instances of switchable glass being used in banks and building societies to protect the tellers.
In luxury city apartments we are seeing switchable glass panels used to create rooms while maintaining the illusion of open plan living. Temporary screening of bedrooms, bathrooms and en-suites can be easily achieved using switchable LCD glass, and this is gaining in popularity.
This type of compartmentalising by using switchable glass walls also makes for very low maintenance in future, with no redecoration ever being needed. And with LDC glass technology being so very cool, it’s really never going to get old.
