In an increasingly populated world, the distance between houses is reducing rapidly. When a young person takes up their first job, they probably cannot afford a three-bedroom, three-bath home, complete with a spread-out front yard and a picketed fence to keep out trespassers. A study shows that more and more young people are starting to consider shared homes or studio apartments in their 20s. Unlike independent houses, apartments do not offer people privacy. With some wise choices, one can achieve the privacy they need, even in a cramped apartment. Switchable glass is one such life-changing choice that offers privacy at the press of a button. Read on to learn about this magic glass and its applications.
The Smart Glass
Smart glass is a type of glass that switches from transparency to opacity with the application of heat, light or electricity. There are several differences between ordinary glass used for windows and privacy glass. Regular glass is incapable of adjusting the amount of light that passes through the material. But the technology of privacy glass enables it to alter the light that enters through the glass. It helps in changing the opacity or transparency of the glass.
Types of privacy glasses
The light control glass is available in two different types. They are active glasses and passive glasses. While active glasses need electricity to function, passive glasses can operate without electricity or batteries. Active glasses are suitable for offices that require privacy divides between cubicles. They also come in handy for workspaces with space restraint. These offices typically use instant switch glasses since they can be flexible. Passive glasses are fitting for building windows, especially for thermal control. They are also known to be perfect in eyeglasses that reflect sunlight away from the wearer’s eyes, reducing the UV rays that hit glasses.
Where are these used?
Privacy glasses are operable in any space where the inhabitants wish to get some privacy while also not closing themselves to the rest of the place. It includes restricted office spaces where employees frequently need to communicate with each other while also working independently. These are also installable in hotels and restaurants. Customers can eat privately, while at the same time, privacy glasses preserve the aesthetic of the place. Similarly, hospitals often use these glasses to partition between beds in general wards to provide patients quiet and privacy during treatments.
Residential privacy glasses
In residential settings, smart glasses are gaining attention and approval. Apart from ensuring privacy, these glasses also guarantee temperature control. Some types can effectively lower the temperature of the room by reflecting sunlight. People living with roommates may have to share several amenities with them. These include kitchens, living areas, porches, balconies and even bathrooms. In such cases, light control glasses provide maximized privacy and minimum discomfiture.
Benefits of smart glass
Overall, privacy glasses are great options to cut costs on temperature and light control in a room. Experts claim that light control glasses can bring down building maintenance costs and electricity charges by twenty per cent. They provide the comfort and assurance of privacy without heavy window screens and curtains. They are specifically valuable in office spaces where an average room needs to transform into a conference room. It is possible with a light control glass wall that can convert into an opaque wall with the flip of a switch. With these glasses, projection becomes simple since it is a process that requires utmost darkness.
Switchable glass is essentially a part of an assortment of electrochromic devices such as privacy windows and light control glass cubicle barriers. With an increase in the desire for privacy, these technologies are becoming popular everywhere.
