Glass Techniques and Glazed Tiles in the Design of Egyptian Architectural Facades

Abstract

Contemporary architecture in Egypt and the world at large is the result of the experiences of past civilizations, which culminated in this age in the so-called post-modern architecture. Buildings in Egypt are exposed to the direct sun rays thus it is imperative to choose building materials and revetments of facades with great care. If glass and its by-products are important elements in the building they should be treated to adapt with the climate in Egypt. Glass should be made double thick to bear shocks and the temperature changes (sekurit, oterplex).It can also be made to reflect and loose the greater part of the sun heat impact before it penetrates into the buildings. Ceramic glass and glazed tiles should be used in the revetment of the architectural facades due to their qualities that suit Egyptian architecture whether in coastal, desert or agricultural areas thanks to their strong endurance of salts, acids and friction, besides the variety of color and texture that can be used to meet the aesthetic values required by the design as well as their ability to insulate heat and sound inside the building and the ease with which they can be cleaned. If we consider that glass can be used in the architectural facades in various areas in Egypt in the form of treated glass surfaces or glass tiles or ceramic glass or glazed mud tiles then we should first define the most important components of the material and study its composition and the possibility of producing different kinds of glass for use on the architectural facades. By scientific research and analysis it was found that glass is made from natural materials such as sand, fire rocks like basalt,and granite,and sedimentary rocks like limestone, kaulin and dolomite. Some kinds of ceramic glass can be produced from waste materials resulting from heavy industries in the form of dust or refuse from cement or iron smelting industries. I have carried out some experiments, which produced more than one kind of colored glass besides good quality ceramic glass tiles from raw materials found in Egypt like: Dolomite, kaulin (silt) and sand from Sinai or Abu. Zeneima with the addition of a small percentage of Sodium Carbonate and some chemical elements to give it the color quality .After that these materials were analysed to define their chemical composition to compare with the composition of glass produced world wide. Table 1 shows the percentage of chemical elements found in the natural raw materials used in the production of glass in Egypt.