Viridian has introduced a new glazing innovation that allows the entry of light and also helps maintain the energy efficiency of the home.

Viridian’s new LightBridge is a market-leading high insulation performance residential glazing product suitable for windows and doors capable of accommodating a double glazed unit. Functioning like a regular window to facilitate light, the new glazing product behaves like a wall when it comes to insulation.

Builders have always found it challenging to achieve more natural light in a home using ordinary glass windows while maintaining the home’s energy efficiency.

Architects, designers and builders have responded to stringent energy regulations by reducing the number, size and distribution of windows in homes. Since large areas of ordinary glass lose excessive amounts of heat and don’t comply with energy regulations, six star houses are now often built with smaller windows to achieve the required NatHERS star rating. Consequently, glazed areas such as windows and doors in detached dwellings have declined by 16% in Victoria and by 6% in NSW in the period 2009-2013.

Research, however, proves that natural light is actually a key design expectation for homeowners, with a recent CSIRO survey finding that participants felt ‘good natural light’ was the most important feature from a set list of top priorities for a home.

The LightBridge glass from Viridian addresses the challenges faced by builders in giving their clients the natural light they desire while achieving the required NatHERS star rating. Viridian’s LightBridge is a new range of high performance insulating glass units (IGU) developed for residential building applications, allowing builders to achieve abundant natural light levels in their designs without compromising energy efficiency.

Using LightBridge instead of ordinary glass, builders can now more than double the glazed area in a home. The high performance double glazed LightBridge windows enable builders to achieve a much larger window to floor ratio with the same NatHERS star rating, providing the homeowner with the desired light, views, energy efficiency and a sense of space.

Viridian’s Home Comfort General Manager, Daniel Black explained that they sought to create windows that functioned like a ‘window’ when it came to light but behaved a bit more like a ‘wall’ when it came to insulation.

Observing that builder and homeowner objectives can sometimes differ, Daniel comments that using high performance glass such as the new LightBridge offers a win-win situation for both the builder and the homeowner or homebuyer. Designed to meet both builder and consumer needs, high performance glass allows the builder to produce better designed, better quality and better valued homes, which can sell at higher prices. Residents also benefit from a healthier and more valuable light filled property.

Choosing LightBridge helps facilitate enhanced natural light levels while allowing the option of balancing high light transmission with mid-range solar control, which can be stepped up to suit specific requirements.

Viridian’s LightBridge glazing range is configured for three standard make-ups: base product, Sanctuary Level 1 and Sanctuary Level 2, offering varying levels of enhanced noise reduction, security and UV control to suit the homeowner’s needs, the specific site requirements or demands of the neighbouring environment. LightBridge also offers an exceptionally low U-value for market-leading insulation performance.

The LightBridge range is available in four standard colour/privacy combinations of Clear and Grey, each available in a transparent or translucent variant.