GB2521593A

GB2521593A - Improved wall

Info

Publication number: GB2521593A
Application number: GB1320668.5A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Paterson
Original assignee: Westcrowns Contracting Services Ltd
Current assignee: Westcrowns Contracting Services Ltd
Priority date: 2013-11-22
Filing date: 2013-11-22
Publication date: 2015-07-01
Also published as: GB201320668D0

Abstract

A transparent or translucent wall 110 comprising one or more glazing panels or sections 112 at least one having a coloured coating 122 that permits transmission of light. The sections may have a primary member (14, fig 2) and at least one flange 116 at an angle to the primary member. Flanges of adjacent sections may abut. The primary members may have first (18, fig 2) and second 124 (20, fig 2) surfaces and adjacent first surfaces may form a wall surface. Adjacent panels may interlock and may face in the same or in opposite directions. There may be a void 144 between adjacent sections. The glazing sections may be U-shaped, Z-shaped, H-shaped, W-shaped. The coating may be a resin and may conform to the surface it is adhered to. The coating may be applied to either or both of the first and second surfaces.

Description

Improved Wall

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to improvements in or relating to walls, in particular to illuminated transparent or translucent walls.

Background to the Invention

A "wall" in this context is taken to mean a wall of a building or similar fixed construction, either internal or external. The term also encompasses internal partitions for a building, which may extend only part way between the floor and ceiling of a room in a building.

There are a number of different construction materials available for the formation of a building's walls. One material which can be chosen, is glass. Its light transmission properties can create a spacious light and airy aspect within a building.

Because of the transparency of glass, it is known to provide illumination to further improve the appearance of a building or to increase its visibility. However, this requires the installation of illumination apparatus, which must be separately installed and powered and arranged close to the wall.

Summary of the Invention

According to the first aspect of the present invention there is provided a transparent or translucent wall, the wall comprising; a plurality of connected profiled glazing sections; a coating, the coating being applied to at least one of said glazing sections, said coating being adapted to permit the transmission of light; wherein, in use, the coating colours the/each profiled glazing section, adjacent glazing sections being of similar or non-similar colours.

In at least one embodiment of the present invention a transparent or translucent wall is provided which can have sections of different colours, improving the visibility of the wall. Construction of the wall is facilitated by the use of profiled glazing sections, which have the added advantage that each section can be selected from one of a number of coloured sections to form a visual effect.

Each glazing section may comprise a primary member.

Each glazing section primary member may define a first surface and a second surface.

Adjacent glazing sections may be adapted to be connected.

The transparent or translucent wall may comprise a plurality of connected glazing sections such that a wall surface is substantially defined by the glazing sections' primary members.

The transparent or translucent wall surface may be substantially defined by the primary members' first surface.

Each glazing section may further comprise an at least one flange member, the at least one flange member being at an angle to the glazing section primary member.

Adjacent glazing sections may be connected by a first glazing section flange member engaging a second glazing section flange Each glazing section flange may define a connecting surface. When adjacent glazing sections are connected, adjacent glazing section flange connecting surfaces may engage.

In this and other embodiments, adjacent glazing section flange members may butt against one another.

In this and other embodiments, adjacent glazing sections may be adapted to interlock.

Adjacent glazing sections may be adapted to be connected or interlocked such that adjacent glazing section primary member first surfaces face in the same direction.

Alternatively or additionally, adjacent glazing sections may be adapted to be connected or interlocked such that adjacent glazing section primary member first surfaces face in the opposite direction.

Where adjacent glazing section primary member first surfaces face in the opposite direction, the adjacent glazing sections may define a void. The void may be at least partially closed.

Each glazing section may have an identical or similar profile.

Each glazing section may have a substantially U-shaped profile.

Alternatively each glazing section may have a 7-shaped, H-shaped, W-shaped or any suitably shaped profile.

In an alternative embodiment the transparent or translucent wall may comprise sections having non-identical profiles.

Each glazing section may be adapted to receive the coating.

Particularly each glazing section primary member may be adapted to receive the coating.

The coating may be applied to either or both of the first and second primary member surfaces.

Where adjacent glazing section primary member first surfaces face in opposite directions, the coating may be applied to at least one of the adjacent glazing section primary member second surfaces.

The coating may be in the form of a resin.

In one embodiment the resin is adapted to conform substantially to the glazing section surface to which it is adhered. Many coatings are self-levelling, an application such this this gives thicker coating sections on thinner coating sections as the surface of the profiled glass is not uniform. When light passes through the coating of variable thickness, dark spots and light spots appear where the coating is relatively thick or thin respectively.

The coating may adapted to adhere to the glazing section surface.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a front view of a transparent/translucent wall, according to a first embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a section through one of the glazing sections of the wall of Figure 1; Figure 3 is an enlarged close of part of the glazing section of Figure 2; Figure 4 is a section through the transparent/translucent wall of Figure 1; and Figure 5 is a section through a transparent/translucent wall, according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description of the Drawings

Referring to the figures 1 to 4, a transparent/translucent wall 10, according to a first embodiment of the present invention is shown. The wall 10, comprises a plurality of profiled glazing sections 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d, 12e, 12f, each profiled glazing section 12 comprising a U-shaped profiled having a primary member 14 and first and second flanges 16a, 1Gb. Each glazing section 12 further defines a first surface 18 and a second surface 20.

The translucent wall 10 further comprises a coating 22, applied to the second surfaces 20 of the glazing sections 12, the coating 22 being adapted to permit the transmission of light. The coating 22 is particularly applied to a second surface 24 of each glazing section primary member 14.

The coating 22 comes in different colours, the coating 22 applied to the first and fourth glazing sections 12a, 12d being different to the coating 22b applied to the second and fifth glazing sections 12b and 12e and a third coating 22c applied to the third and sixth glazing sections 12c and 12f. Providing a coating 22to the glazing sections 12 improves the visibility of the wall 10 and an aesthetic rainbow like appearance can be achieved using different colours of coating 22.

As can be seen most clearly from Figures 2 and 3, the coating 22 is in the form of a resin 26 applied to the second surface 24 of each glazing section 12 and conforms to the surface profile 24 of the glazing section 12. Particularly, the glazing section's primary member second surfaces 24 (referring to Figure 3) are pitted and the resin 26 conforms to the pitted nature of the surface 24 to result in a substantially uniform thickness of coating 22. Such an arrangement prevents dark spots appearing on the transparent/translucent wall 10 which would occur where the thickness of the coating 22 is thicker in some places than others. A substantially uniform layer of coating 22 results in substantially equal transmission of light across the whole of each glazing section 12 ensuring that each glazing section 12 remains aesthetically pleasing in appearance.

Referring to figure 4, it will be noted that the profiled glazing sections 12 all face in the same direction. Each glazing section 12 is connected to the adjacent glazing section 12 by engagement of the first flange 1 6a of one glazing section 12 butting up against the second flange 16b of an adjacent glazing section 12.

This is in contrast with the translucent translucent/transparent wall 110 shown in figureS, a section through the wall hundred and 10 according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

In this embodiment the wall 110 comprises two layers 140, 142 of U-shaped profiled glass sections 112 arranged such that the profiled glass section flanges 116 overlap and interlock.

Similar to the glazing sections of the first embodiment, a coating 122 is applied to a 2nd surface 124 of the glazing section primary members 114.

However in this case the coating 122 is enclosed within one of a number of voids 144 defined by the glazing section layers 140, 142. This provides protection for the coating 122 which otherwise would be exposed as is the case in the translucent/transparent wall 10 of the first embodiment.

Claims

Claims: 1. A transparent or translucent wall, the wall comprising; a plurality of connected profiled glazing sections; a coating, the coating being applied to at least one of said glazing sections, said coating being adapted to permit the transmission of light; wherein, in use, the coating colours the/each profiled glazing section, adjacent glazing sections being of similar or non-similar colours.
2. A transparent or translucent wall according to claim 1 wherein each glazing section comprises a primary member.
3. A transparent or translucent wall according to claim 2 wherein each glazing section primary member defines a first surface and a second surface. r
4. A transparent or translucent wall according to any precedent claim wherein adjacent glazing sections are adapted to be connected.
5. A transparent or translucent wall according to claim 4 when dependent on claim 2 comprising a plurality of connected glazing sections such that a wall surface is substantially defined by the glazing sections' primary members.
6. A transparent or translucent wall according to any of claims 2 to 5 wherein the transparent or translucent wall surface is substantially defined by the primary members' first surface.
7. A transparent or translucent wall according to any of claims 2 to 6 wherein each glazing section further comprises an at least one flange member, the at least one flange member being at an angle to the glazing section primary member.
8. A transparent or translucent wall according to claim 7 wherein adjacent glazing sections are connected by a first glazing section flange member engaging a second glazing section flange.
9. A transparent or translucent wall according to claim 7 or claim B wherein each glazing section flange defines a connecting surface.
1O.A transparent or translucent wall according to any of claims 7 to 9 wherein adjacent glazing section flange members butt against one another.
11.A transparent or translucent wall according to any preceding claims ct wherein adjacent glazing sections are adapted to interlock.
12.A transparent or translucent wall according to claim 11 when dependent r.on claim 2 wherein adjacent glazing sections are adapted to be (\,j connected or interlocked such that adjacent glazing section primary member first surfaces face in the same direction.
1 3.A transparent or translucent wall according to claim 11 when dependent on claim 2 wherein adjacent glazing sections are adapted to be connected or interlocked such that adjacent glazing section primary member first surfaces face in the opposite direction.
14.A transparent or translucent wall according to claim 13 wherein the adjacent glazing sections define a void.
15.A transparent or translucent wall according to claim 14 wherein the void is at least partially closed.
16.A transparent or translucent wall according any preceding claim wherein each glazing section has an identical or similar profile.
17. A transparent or translucent wall according to any preceding claim wherein each glazing section has a substantially U-shaped profile.
18.A transparent or translucent wall according to any of claims ito 16 wherein each glazing section has a Z-shaped, H-shaped, W-shaped or any suitably shaped profile.
19.A transparent or translucent wall according to any of claims Ito 15 comprising sections having non-identical profiles.
20.A transparent or translucent wall according to any preceding claim wherein each glazing section is adapted to receive the coating.ct
21.A transparent or translucent wall according to claim 20 when dependent on claim 2 wherein each glazing section primary member is adapted to r receive the coating.(\,j
22.A transparent or translucent wall according to claim 20 when dependent on claim 3 wherein the coating is applied to either or both of the first and second primary member surfaces.
23.A transparent or translucent wall according to claim 22 wherein, where adjacent glazing section primary member first surfaces face in opposite directions, the coating is applied to at least one of the adjacent glazing section primary member second surfaces.
24.A transparent or translucent wall according to any preceding claim wherein the coating is in the form of a resin.
25.A transparent or translucent wall according to claim 24 wherein the resin is adapted to conform substantially to the glazing section surface to which it is adhered.
26.A transparent or translucent wall according to any preceding claim wherein the coating is adapted to adhere to the glazing section surface. r r (4