7 november 2025
Understanding Glass Codes and Standards
In this video, Martina Eliášová outlines the critical role of codes and standards in the use of structural glass in modern architecture. As glass evolves from a simple infill material to a primary structural element in beams, columns, and load-bearing walls, ensuring safety becomes paramount. The framework has evolved from national standards to unified European Eurocodes, which harmonize design, manufacturing, and testing rules across the EU to ensure quality and safety. The key groups of standards cover glass production, material property determination (e.g., EN 1288, EN 16612), and the design of load-bearing structures (with the upcoming EN 19100). Essential testing standards are also outlined, including those for impact resistance from human bodies (EN 12600), manual burglary attacks (EN 356), and resistance to firearms and explosions, all necessary to meet the reliability and safety requirements for building structures throughout their service life. 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.