About Spandrel Glass: Its Use, Appearance and Applications.

Spandrels are opaque glass panels located between areas of vision glass. They’re used to conceal such building components as columns, floors, HVAC systems, wiring or plumbing.

Designs calling for large areas of glass, such as curtain walls or structural glazing, often include spandrels. Depending on the design, the spandrel color may match the vision glass or complement it. Spandrel glass must be heat-treated to avoid thermal stress breakage.

Matching spandrel glass to vision glass that’s either high transmittance or low reflection can be difficult. The degree of color and visual similarity of a building’s vision and spandrel glass can vary greatly depending on several factors: light transmission, time of day, sky conditions and interior shading.

In general, higher light-transmitting glass will require more complementary spandrel glass, while lower-transmitting/higher-reflecting glass can provide a better matching spandrel. Contact SunGuard for specific recommendations. Whatever the project, we always recommend a full-sized outdoor mockup be constructed to provide the most accurate view of vision and spandrel glass.

While Guardian does not manufacture spandrel glass insulating units, SunGuard coatings can be an important part of your spandrel glass solution. We’ll be pleased to help you make the right choice for your design needs.

For more information, call 1-866-GuardSG (482-7374).

Get detailed performance data
See completed projects
Order samples