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Bringing all the advantages back home

Melbourne laminator builds home with laminated glass for aesthetics and energy efficiency

In Melbourne, Australia, the managing director of laminator DMS Glass, Don Mathieson, built a home with architect Lex Carter that leverages Mathieson's knowledge of laminated glass to extraordinary advantage with regards to aesthetics and energy efficiency. More than 350m² of 12.8mm floor-to-ceiling laminated glass is used throughout the project.

Don and Grethe Mathieson summed up their design goals: "Light transmission, noise reduction, unobstructed views, high performance of the glass, UV protection, safety and security and maximum efficiency in heating and cooling." As an industry specialist, Don especially liked the look of PPG's Azurlite^® laminated with DuPont^™ Butacite^® to PPG Sungate^® 500 Low-E glass for energy efficiency. Mathieson told LGN: "We did not want curtains in the main area of the house because we wanted to enjoy unobstructed views of the pool and entertaining area at the back of the house. UV protection was also a consideration, given the fact that carpets and furnishings could be damaged by the hot Australian sun if the glass was not performing. The high performance glass provides solar control properties which aid in the reduction of heating and cooling costs in the house."