Pilkington Planar™ Advantages
Our Products
- Glass Fins Walls
- Glass Canopies
- Glass On Steel Substructures
- Cable Nets and Tension Trusses
- Hybrid Tension Rod/Steel Beam Facades
- Glass Roofs and Skylights

Glass Fins Walls
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.

Glass Canopies
Laminated Pilkington Planar™ structural glass is ideally suited for horizontal applications. Glass panels are typically bonded together with "SentryGlas®" ionoplast interlayer from Kuraray* laminate, which allows the architect to have completely exposed edges without worrying about long-term edge stability concerns from exposure to moisture like with PVB interlayers. The glass panels can be silk-screened in any Pilkington standard or custom pattern before being laminated. Virtually any design can be accommodated with digital-printing technology now available for Pilkington Planar™ glass. For more information on "SentryGlas®" ionoplast interlayer from Kuraray* click here.
The inherent design flexibility of Planar makes it an excellent system for canopy and roof applications. Exterior framing, that can become a maintenance problem or possibly cause future leaks, is not required. The backup structure is required to carry self-weight, snow loads (where applicable), and to resist negative wind pressures through fixing locations. Large spans are possible if underlying purlins are reinforced with cable or tension rod rigging. Laminated glass beam purlins are also an options for ultimate transparency. In some cases, Pilkington Planar™ canopies can even be supported by laminated structural glass fin vertical walls. Pilkington Planar™ canopies require a minimum slope of 3 degrees to eliminate ponding on the glass.
All backup structures are available from W&W Glass as a completely engineered, sole source package for guaranteed performance of the complete Pilkington Planar™ canopy system.
*SentryGlas® is a registered trademark of E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company and used under exclusive license by Kuraray

Glass On Steel Substructures
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.

Cable Nets and Tension Trusses
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.

Hybrid Tension Rod/Steel Beam Facades
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.

Glass Roofs and Skylights
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
Our Portfolio
Technical Information
The Pilkington Planar™ system allows for a high degree of flexibility and customization to take place to maximize design creativity on each project. Pilkington has created a range of fittings that can be used for vertical and horizontal applications that act in concert exclusively with Pilkington Planar™ fabricated glass as a complete tested and warrantied system. The fittings are not offered separately, as they are not tested to work with any other fabricated glass products. The fittings work off of tried and true design principles that Pilkington has established and refined over the years since the invention of the Pilkington Planar™ point supported system in the 1960's. Many of these machined and cast fittings are made from type 316 stainless steel. Please see the wide range of fittings and connections we offer above. Standard CAD details can be found in the CAD Drawings section below. We are happy to discuss customization of fittings to suit your application.
Technical Information
W&W Glass Pilkington Planar TM Brochure
Specs & Charts

Specifications DOC files
Glass Performance Charts PDF files
- W&W Glass Pilkington Planar™ Catalog
- W&W Glass Pilkington Planar™ Roller-Wave Quality and Tempering Furnace Brochure
- Pilkington Planar™ Brochure
- Pilkington Planar™ Single Monolithic Glass Brochure
- Pilkington Planar™ Laminated Glass Brochure
- Pilkington Planar™ Integral Laminated Glass Brochure
- Pilkington Planar™ Insulating Glass Unit Brochure
- Pilkington Planar™ Laminated Insulating Glass Unit Brochure
- Pilkington Planar™ Triple-Glazed Insulating Glass Unit Brochure
- Pilkington Planar™ Silk-Screen Printed Glass Brochure
- Pilkington Planar™ with Pilkington Suncool™ ProT Low-e Brochure
- Pilkington Planar™ with Pilkington Suncool™ 60/27 ProT Triple Silver Low-e Brochure
- Pilkington Planar™ with Pilkington Eclipse Advantage Brochure
- Pilkington Planar™ Blast-Resistant Glazing Brochure
CAD Drawings
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