ᐅ Which type of glazing? Thickness, laminated safety glass (LSG), heat-reflective glass, toughened/tempered glass, and so on?

Dear homeowners,

We are currently working on the quotes for the windows. We are building a two-story house. Therefore, there are tilt-and-turn windows on the ground floor and first floor, as well as many floor-to-ceiling units on both levels. Additionally, we have planned a corner window on the first floor and a lift-and-slide door system on the ground floor.

All the quotes have come in with the following glass configuration:

8 mm (5/16 inch) laminated safety glass (LSG), 4 mm (5/32 inch) float glass, 8 mm (5/16 inch) laminated safety glass. For the corner window, the outer pane is specified as 8 mm (5/16 inch) toughened safety glass (TSG).

Now we are wondering if this might be overkill in some cases. 6 mm (1/4 inch) laminated safety glass should be sufficient at least for personal protection (falling through floor-to-ceiling units). Burglary resistance is a consideration on the ground floor, but for resistance class RC2, a special type of glass would be needed (at least for the outer pane).

How have you approached this topic? Do you use the same glass configuration throughout, or do you optimize it depending on the window’s position, size, etc.?

Thanks in advance for an interesting discussion!

Bauherr am L schrieb:

Consistent fillings everywhere, or optimized depending on the window (position, size, etc.)?

The glass portion has a significant impact on the price. Of course, in northern regions, you can save on sun protection and similar features.

Bauherr am L schrieb:

6 mm laminated safety glass (LSG) should be sufficient at least to protect people (falling through floor-to-ceiling units).

But you’re not referring to balcony railings here, rather to window glass. Why should double glazing be less than 8-4-8 thick just because one of the panes could meet the safety requirements at a thinner thickness?

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It’s purely a cost consideration. One of the window manufacturers made it seem like we could (noticeably) save money by, for example, skipping laminated safety glass (VSG) where it’s not necessary or by using 6mm (1/4 inch) glass...

However, if the glass doesn’t have a significant price impact, I would prefer to stick with the 8-4-8 configuration...

But for the areas relevant to RC2 (ground floor), special requirements still apply, right?

Bauherr am L schrieb:

as if we could noticeably save by, for example, skipping laminated safety glass (VSG) where it’s not necessary or going down to 6mm...

Skipping custom options for glass does save some money. But I haven’t heard of 6mm (2¼ inches) panes being used in the German market.

Bauherr am L schrieb:

for the RC2 relevant areas (ground floor), you need something special, right?

A burglary resistance class isn’t just about individual components.

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https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/

11ant schrieb:

A burglary resistance class is not just about individual components.

I understand, I was only referring to the glass, which needs to be P4A... the fittings alone would be RC2N...

I’m currently using a window configurator. It offers either 6mm laminated safety glass (VSG) on the inside or 6mm laminated safety glass on the outside (both at the same price).

Laminated safety glass (VSG) is designed to prevent injuries from broken glass (fewer shards due to the interlayer) and also to provide protection against break-ins (since it resists impact). I’m thinking of simply choosing the 6mm laminated safety glass on the inside and achieving two goals at once:
1) If someone falls against or through the glass from the inside, the interlayer protects against serious injuries.
2) It also contributes to burglary resistance since the laminated glass is part of the window.

Or does it actually make a difference for break-in protection whether the laminated safety glass is installed on the inside or the outside?

@Bauherr am L Did you get quotes from a local window manufacturer, or are you looking online?