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HBO/WO

MBO

April 15, 2026

The Evolution of Structural Glass Design

In this video, James O'Callaghan traces structural glass from its emergence in the mid‑1990s as a substitute for wood and steel through to its use in the present day. Glass offers unique transparency, strength, and stiffness, making it suitable for beams, floors, and columns. However, its purely elastic behavior provides no warning before failure. Key challenges center mainly on connections, where failure can occur without visible signs of overstress. Because bolted connections create such problematic local stresses, novel inserted connections were developed to preserve transparency and improve structural efficiency . Realised projects include Apple's Fifth Avenue cube (2006 and 2011), Zorlu in Istanbul, and the Steve Jobs Theater. Lastly, James O'Callaghan advises future engineers to approach glass with curiosity, not limiting it to windows or structural roles, but exploring its full potential. Despite its embodied carbon, glass remains vital for connecting people to light and the outdoors. Its future depends on fresh, naive eyes that ask what glass can do, not what it has done. The video was produced by the Open GLASSroom project. Special thanks to James O'Callaghan for contributing to the Open GLASSroom OER collection. The creation of these resources has been (partially) funded by the ERASMUS+ grant program of the European Union under grant no. 2022-1-DE01-KA220-HED-000089750. Neither the European Commission nor the project's national funding agency DAAD are responsible for the content or liable for any losses or damage resulting of the use of these resources.

Video

James O'Callaghan

April 11, 2026

The Refurbishment of Channel 4

In this video, Peter van de Rotten describes in detail the refurbishment of a 1990s high-tech glass facade at Channel 4's headquarters in London. The original design used a double-curved cable net with point-fixed suspended glass panels. Over time serious safety issues emerged, namely damaged glass and fixings displaced by up to 50mm which threatened sudden energy release and possible collapse. To safely disassemble the facade, the team introduced a third load path, supporting each glass panel from the top steel crown, and designed special clamps to secure cable fixings. The disassembly was carried out in a carefully controlled sequence to safely remove and replace the different elements and components. Key challenges included extremely tight tolerances (down to 20 micrometers), mixing old and new materials, and avoiding stress around glass holes. The team chose to preserve the original facade shape to prevent unpredictable behavior. The video was produced by the Open GLASSroom project. Special thanks to Peter van de Rotten for contributing to the Open GLASSroom OER collection. The creation of these resources has been (partially) funded by the ERASMUS+ grant program of the European Union under grant no. 2022-1-DE01-KA220-HED-000089750. Neither the European Commission nor the project's national funding agency DAAD are responsible for the content or liable for any losses or damage resulting of the use of these resources.

Video

Peter van de Rotten

January 23, 2026

Self-study module Introduction to Plant Biology - Plant hormones

This self-study module is part of the series ‘Introduction to Plant Biology’ and introduces plant hormones, explaining how chemical signaling enables communication and coordination within plants. It is designed for students learning basic plant biology and for teachers seeking clear figures and explanations for educational use. The module covers fundamental concepts of cell signaling and signal transduction and examines the functions and interactions of major plant hormones, including auxin, cytokinin, abscisic acid, gibberellins, ethylene, salicylic acid, jasmonic acid, brassinosteroids, and strigolactones, in regulating plant growth, development, and responses to the environment.

Document

Elysa Overdijk, Anniek Oosterwijk, Kayla Delvers

December 19, 2025

Self-study module Introduction to Plant Biology - Abiotic stress

This self-study module is part of the series ‘Introduction to Plant Biology’ and introduces abiotic stress in plants and explains how plants cope with and adapt to challenging environmental conditions. It is designed for students learning basic plant biology and for teachers seeking clear figures and explanations for educational use. The module covers key abiotic stresses - heat, cold, flooding, drought, salinity, and high light intensity - and examines the physiological, structural, and adaptive strategies plants use to survive and grow under these conditions.

Document

Elysa Overdijk, Anniek Oosterwijk, Kayla Delvers

December 19, 2025

Self-study module Introduction to Plant Biology - Photosynthesis light-independent reaction

This self-study module is part of the series ‘Introduction to Plant Biology’ and focuses on the light-independent reactions of photosynthesis, the Calvin cycle. It is designed for students studying basic plant biology and for teachers seeking clear explanations and illustrative figures for educational use. The module explains how plants convert carbon dioxide into sugars, the role of rubisco in carbon fixation, and the process of photorespiration. Students explore how photosynthesis is linked to stomatal function, how plants have adapted to extreme environmental conditions through C₄ and CAM photosynthesis, and how sugars are converted into starch for energy storage and the role of source-sink relationships. Finally, the module connects photosynthesis to plant respiration and overall energy balance.

Document

Elysa Overdijk, Anniek Oosterwijk, Kayla Delvers

October 28, 2025

Adhesive Connections in Glass Constructions

In this video, Christiane Kothe explains the use of structural adhesive bonding in glass construction, a technology with ancient roots that was revolutionized by modern synthetic and silicone adhesives. Adhesive connections offer key advantages over mechanical fixings, including transparent aesthetics, the ability to join different materials, and even stress distribution, which reduces local weak points. However, their success depends on meticulous surface preparation and managing long curing times, which can impact production efficiency. The video covers the fundamental principles of adhesion and cohesion, the chemical curing process of structural adhesives, and the critical importance of surface pre-treatments to ensure bond strength and long-term durability. Through methods like contact angle measurement and mechanical testing, including accelerated aging, the performance and reliability of these bonds can be validated. When applied correctly, adhesive connections significantly enhance the safety, efficiency, and design possibilities of modern glass structures. The video was produced by the Open GLASSroom project. Special thanks to Christiane Kothe for contributing to the Open GLASSroom OER collection. The creation of these resources has been (partially) funded by the ERASMUS+ grant program of the European Union under grant no. 2022-1-DE01-KA220-HED-000089750. Neither the European Commission nor the project's national funding agency DAAD are responsible for the content or liable for any losses or damage resulting of the use of these resources.

Video

Christiane Kothe

October 25, 2025

Fracture Mechanics Fundamentals

In this video, Daniel Trias Mansilla explains the core principles of fracture mechanics, which provides an alternative to traditional stress analysis by accounting for the inherent cracks and defects in real materials. The field introduces two main criteria for predicting failure. The first is an energy-based approach, using the energy release rate (G), which measures the energy available to propagate a crack. The second is a stress-based approach, using the stress intensity factor (K), which characterizes the intense stress field near a crack tip. Fracture occurs when either of these values reaches a critical threshold (Gc or Kc), which are material properties known as fracture toughness. These concepts allow engineers to predict failure in flawed components more accurately than traditional methods. The video was produced by the Open GLASSroom project. Special thanks to Daniel Trias Mansilla for contributing to the Open GLASSroom OER collection. The creation of these resources has been (partially) funded by the ERASMUS+ grant program of the European Union under grant no. 2022-1-DE01-KA220-HED-000089750. Neither the European Commission nor the project's national funding agency DAAD are responsible for the content or liable for any losses or damage resulting of the use of these resources.

Video

Daniel Trias

October 12, 2025

Float Glass: Primary Glass Manufactoring and Mechanical Properties

In this video Mauro Overend explains the well-known properties of glass and how they result from its manufacturing process. Glass is an optically transparent but brittle material, making it ideal for architecture yet prone to sudden breakage. The video focuses on the industrial float glass process, invented by Alastair Pilkington in the 1950s. This process involves melting raw materials like silica sand, soda, and lime at 1500°C. The molten glass is then floated on a bath of molten tin, where it cools and solidifies into a flat uniform sheet. This rapid, controlled cooling results in an "amorphous isotropic solid," which gives glass its transparency, perfect elasticity, and brittleness. The glass is then annealed (gradually cooled) to minimize internal stresses, making it possible to cut. The final product, known as annealed float glass, is the base material for most architectural applications. The video was produced by the Open GLASSroom project. Special thanks to Mauro Overend for contributing to the Open GLASSroom OER collection. The creation of these resources has been (partially) funded by the ERASMUS+ grant program of the European Union under grant no. 2022-1-DE01-KA220-HED-000089750. Neither the European Commission nor the project's national funding agency DAAD are responsible for the content or liable for any losses or damage resulting of the use of these resources.

Video

Mauro Overend

October 12, 2025

Float Glass: Secondary Glass Manufactoring and Mechanical Properties

In this video Mauro Overend explains how annealed glass is strengthened after its initial production. The primary method is thermal treatment, known as tempering or toughening, where the glass is heated and then rapidly cooled. This process creates internal stresses, putting the outer surfaces in compression and the inner core in tension, which significantly increases the glass's strength. There are two grades: fully-toughened (tempered) glass, which is 3-4 times stronger than annealed glass and breaks into small, less hazardous fragments, and heat-strengthened glass, which is about twice as strong but breaks into larger, sharper shards. The video also covers lamination, a process where two or more glass sheets are bonded with an interlayer (like PVB or SentryGlas®) using heat and pressure. Laminated glass holds together when broken, preventing injuries from falling shards and providing post-fracture resistance, which is essential for safety applications like balustrades and overhead glazing. These secondary processes are crucial for improving the strength and safety of glass in architectural applications. The video was produced by the Open GLASSroom project. Special thanks to Mauro Overend for contributing to the Open GLASSroom OER collection. The creation of these resources has been (partially) funded by the ERASMUS+ grant program of the European Union under grant no. 2022-1-DE01-KA220-HED-000089750. Neither the European Commission nor the project's national funding agency DAAD are responsible for the content or liable for any losses or damage resulting of the use of these resources.

Video

Mauro Overend

October 12, 2025

Effective Thickness Method

In this video Martina Eliášová explains how the polymer interlayer between glass panes influences the performance of structural elements like floors and roofs. The key property is the interlayer's shear modulus, which is highly dependent on temperature and load duration. At high temperatures or under long-term loads, the shear modulus is low, and the glass panes behave more independently. At low temperatures or under short-term loads, the shear modulus is high, causing the panes to act as a single, monolithic unit. This variable behavior must be considered in design to accurately calculate stress and deflection. The video mentions that modern standards, like the effective thickness method in EN 16612, provide simplified analytical models to account for this partial shear interaction, leading to more economical and accurate designs than older, more conservative practices. The video was produced by the Open GLASSroom project. Special thanks to Martina Eliášová for contributing to the Open GLASSroom OER collection. The creation of these resources has been (partially) funded by the ERASMUS+ grant program of the European Union under grant no. 2022-1-DE01-KA220-HED-000089750. Neither the European Commission nor the project's national funding agency DAAD are responsible for the content or liable for any losses or damage resulting of the use of these resources.

Video

Martina Eliasova