Conclusion: Glass Tile, Done Right

Through standard development, fabrication advances, and education on best practices, the millennia-old art of handcrafted glass tile remains one of the most progressive and cutting-edge material categories. Belying its technical advances, today’s pioneers in this specialty area tout the advantage of handcrafted glass tile manufacturing and hand tile setting, mounting, and installation. This artisan heritage helps architects achieve timeless designs that are durable and sustainable with broad aesthetic range.

In order to benefit optimally from the offerings of the glass tile world, architects must be familiar with quality standards in place for glass tile production as well as mosaic tile installation. Design teams can also explore the sustainability attributes of glass tile, including the use of recycled glass. With this knowledge in hand, says the manufacturing executive Marckx, “Architects can express their deep desire for authentic and gratifying design, a colorful experience of human values, positive vibrations, and cultural vision.”

Recycled Content

Most glass tile has recycled content. Depending on the color of the glass tile, the products may have various amounts of recycled glass -- both postconsumer and preconsumer -- from 30 percent to 98 percent total recycled content. The preconsumer materials are generated during manufacturing, such as scrap and trimmings. Postconsumer materials include recycled bottle glass, known as cullet, from curbside recycling programs. This contributes to the LEED credit MRc4, which allows for a point toward certification where 10 percent of project materials by cost are postconsumer/preconsumer recycled. At 20 percent, two points may be awarded.

Regional Materials

Some building projects with potential glass tile installations may be near North American manufacturers, such as in Southern California. To increase demand for products created near the site of construction, LEED offers a credit for “building materials or products that have been extracted, harvested or recovered, as well as manufactured, within 500 miles of the project site for a minimum of 10 percent (based on cost) of the total materials value.” This includes materials permanently installed in the project but may not include elevators and mechanical equipment.

END NOTES

¹Ellis, William. Glass. New York: Avon Books Inc., 1998.

²Waage, Frederick O. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc. Britannica.com. Web. March 2016. .

³Corning Museum of Glass. “Chemistry of Glass.” 1 Dec. 2011. Web. March 2016. .

⁴The Tile Council of North America. ANSI A137.2-2013: American National Standard Specifications for Glass Tile. January 2014. Web. March 2016. .

⁵Woelfel, James. “President’s Letter.” “TileLetter,” 3 Feb. 2015. Web. March 2016. .

⁶Pompo, Donato. “Installing ceramic tile, glass tile, and stone interior wet areas.” TileLetter. 23 Jan. 2014. Web. March 2016. .

⁷U.S. Green Building Council. “LEED BD C: Retail | v1 – LEED 1.0 pilot.” Web. March 2016. .

⁸“LEED Credits.” Anna Cabo Artglass. January 2016. Web. March 2016. .

⁹Eurima. “Sustainable Natural Resources.” European Insulation Manufacturers Association. January 2011. Web. March 2016. .

¹⁰“The mining of sand, a non-renewable resource.” Green Facts. 2014. Web. March 2016. .

C.C. Sullivan leads a marketing communications agency by the same name specializing in architecture, construction, and other industries. He has produced scores of continuing education courses, articles, and technical publications globally. www.ccsullivan.com

Oceanside Glasstile has been manufacturing sustainable, hand-crafted glass tile since 1992. Made in North America the company is accessible for collaboration in custom tile design and project design as well as conventional residential, pool and commercial design.