For generations there has been a love affair with the unique strength, precision and timeless elegance of the slim profile of a steel window. However, as the decades have passed, marrying this aesthetic with modern thermal requirements has been a challenge. To achieve the insulation levels required to conform with today’s thermally efficiency for buildings, frames have become deeper, sightlines thicker and the original design intent has been part lost.
The emergence and innovation of Vacuum Insulated Glass (VIG) technology has changed this narrative entirely. It is, without question, the most significant development in the steel window industry since Henry Bessemer invented his process for mass produced rolled steel. The introduction of vacuum insulated glass units is allowing steel windows to reclaim their place as the pinnacle of architectural slim window design and has introduced a new and ultimate thermal option for renovating historic steel windows.
A Perfect Fit for Slender Profiles
The fundamental challenge for steel windows has always been how to thermally improve steel profiles whilst maintaining their limited glazing rebate depth. Traditional double glazing is 28mm thick, so can only be used in the deeper W40 frames, and gives this option an unsightly double reflection, while triple glazing can only be used for the much deeper, thermally broken W50 frames. Werkman Tech vacuum insulated glass units start at just 8.15mm thick, making them the perfect choice for retro-fitting into SMW or W20 steel sections. This allows you to offer clients a far more thermally efficient W20 steel window and the upgrade when retrofit existing frames, with glazing that meets or exceeds the most stringent building regulations, all while preserving the elegant, minimalist sightlines that define steel windows.
The Ideal Choice for Heritage and Conservation
This is particularly poignant for heritage work. Bodies like Historic England have recognized the value of VIG, noting its suitability and additional benefits for listed buildings and conservation by having no dew point and thus removing internal glass condensation and predominantly for vastly raising the buildings thermally efficiency. Steel window companies can now provide the thermal comfort and energy efficiency of a modern building without compromising the historical integrity of the façade. For the most authentic projects, VIG can even be manufactured with heritage drawn glass, or hand blown glass, matching the subtle reflective character of the original panes.
Sustainability Woven into Its Fabric
For your customers who are increasingly focused on sustainability, VIG also offers a compelling story. It achieves its incredible insulation, with incredibly low U-values starting from 0.25 W/m²K, but on standard units with one low e coating Werkman Tech offer the lowest U value of 0.452 W/m²K for any insulated unit in the world. This is achieved with two panes of toughened glass melded together around the edge and with a vacuum cavity. The cumbersome triple glazed unit uses a third pane which translates to a significantly higher embodied carbon footprint. Furthermore, Werkman Tech vacuum insulated glass is manufactured without the need for any pressurised gasses, plastics, silicones or butyl rubber. Not only is VIG free of these products, it also lasts five times longer. This means VIG removes the climate impact of being replaced every ten years or so, and it’s not just the removal of products like silicone, butyl rubber, plastic spacers and gas every ten years, it’s the additional eight pieces of glass, their toughening and also the end-of-life recycling difficulties of all these products, too. This makes VIG the perfect option for sustainability and by far the greenest option. Werkman Tech vacuum insulated glass units are fundamentally cleaner, far more thermally efficient saving on heating fuel use and, at the end of its expected lifespan of 60 years plus, is fully recyclable.
By using Werkman Tech vacuum glass, your steel windows are no longer just an architecturally beautiful choice; they are the intelligent, high-performance, and deeply sustainable choice for the future.
