The glass fin (mullion) is the original backup structure first introduced by Pilkington over 40 years ago. Today, it is still the most widely specified support member in structural glass design.

These fin supported systems exploit the full potential of glass as a structural material while providing support for the Pilkington Planar™ facades and allowing maximum transparency.

The glass fin system uses monolithic or laminated fully tempered glass fins as a means of support to transfer wind loading to structure. Various "moment" and "pin" type connections can be used to transfer loads to the structure in different ways.

Most glass fin supported structures are suspended from the structure above. Pilkington Planar™ glass panels are fastened to the glass fins by the use of Pilkington Planar™ fittings. In this arrangement, the total weight of the facade panels and fins is carried by the connection at the head. This allows for very high facades to be designed without large in-plane loads on the Pilkington Planar™ panels. While some systems can be floor loaded or "stacked", we will ONLY floor load up to a height of 32 feet (10 meters). This is due to the possible buckling of the glass fins. In high seismic areas, glass is always suspended. All glass fin back-up structures are available as a completely engineered sole source Pilkington Planar™ system package for guaranteed performance of the complete assembly.

There are many variations and options available depending on the design intent and structure available. Please consult a W&W Glass architectural design specialist for specific application recommendations.

Architects and owners are increasingly interested in incorporating new designs in steel as a backup structure to Pilkington Planar™.

Pilkington Planar™ can be coordinated with all types of steel structures, ranging from simple pipe columns to complex truss systems. Steel structures with Pilkington Planar™ can be used either vertically or in roofs and skylights. These structures can be internal or external to the glass plane.

W&W Glass can supply the entire backup structure in addition to the Pilkington Planar™ System as part of a sole source design/build package, or we will happy to coordinate with steel contractors to insure the correct end product.

The cable net wall offers the thinnest, most transparent solution for unsupported glass applications. For almost 20 years, the cable net has offered architects and engineers the ability to span great distances without the need for large, heavy-structured elements within the glazed area.

Cable nets can be one-way or two-way nets – spanning either vertical only or vertical and horizontal. Glass panels of almost any configuration can be used to enclose the space. They are mounted by the use of countersunk Pilkington Planar™ bolt assemblies or custom patch fitting clamps made of steel, stainless steel, or aluminum.

Tension Trusses

Various forms of cable-stayed tension structures can be used to support a Pilkington Planar™ facade. They can take the form of simple strong back steel trusses, bow-string trusses, or lighter weight, more filigree cable trusses. Designers have complete freedom and flexibility when designing these trusses. These structures can be internal or external to the glass plane. They are often used to keep the structure as transparent as possible, while requiring lower tension loads on the boundary support structure than a cable net wall. Tension trusses can be supplied by W&W Glass as part of a single source Pilkington Planar™ solution with glass and fittings.

There are many variations and options available depending on the design intent and structure available. Please consult a W&W Glass architectural design specialist for specific application recommendations.

A tension rod/steel beam system is a hybrid design between a cable net wall and a full steel substructure. This type of configuration allows horizontal steel plate beams or tubes to span across an opening (often pinned back to structural steel columns 20-40 feet on center) to act as a wind load brace, while vertical tension rods or cables (connected to the front of the horizontal beams) support the dead load of the glass with Pilkington Planar™ countersunk fittings or custom patch fittings. The vertical rods/cables with fittings connect to the horizontal steel to pick up the sag  between column supports as well.

This system couples a minimal support structure, designed for a high level of transparency, with a low tension loading impact on the boundary structure. Various types of structures can be created incorporating tension rods, cables, simple tubes, or pipes designed in numerous configurations to support the Pilkington Planar™ façade. 

W&W Glass can supply the backup structure along with the Pilkington Planar™ system as a complete design/build product.

There are many variations and options available depending on the design intent and structure available. Please consult a W&W Glass architectural design specialist for specific application recommendations.

The inherent design flexibility of Pilkington Planar™ is ideally suited to roof applications. Framing, that can become a maintenance problem or possibly cause future leaks, is not required. Pilkington Planar™ glass carries self-weight, snow loads, accommodates seismic movements, and resists wind pressures through the use of Pilkington Planar™ fittings.

Large spans are possible if underlying purlins are reinforced with cable or tension rod rigging. Pilkington Planar™ glass can also be supported by tension trusses, laminated glass beam purlins, space frames, and many other types of structures. The structure can be located above or below the glass. Pilkington Planar™  roofs require a minimum slope of 3 degrees to eliminate ponding on the glass.

Various glass types can be incorporated into the roof or skylight for superior performance. All glass is laminated, generally using "SentryGlas®" ionoplast interlayer from Kuraray* laminate. For more information on "SentryGlas®" ionoplast interlayer from Kuraray* click here.

All backup structures are available as a completely engineered sole source package for guaranteed performance of the glass roofs and skylights.

*SentryGlas® is a registered trademark of E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company and used under exclusive license by Kuraray