What is a Conservatory?
Defined as a room made of windows, differing from a room – such as a sunroom or sun porch, whether it be manufactured or stick built – with windows in it, a properly designed and built conservatory is not comprised of mass manufactured windows but instead is created from individual glass panels, or “windows” if you will, that can be fashioned from a myriad array of available glass with widely varying characteristics.
Confused by claims touting a particular brand or type of glass as better or best, people often ask Tanglewood what glass we use in our conservatories, or which is the best type of glass to use in a conservatory. The answer is both simple and complex. The glass we use is the glass that will produce the results that you desire, and the best glass is the glass that will best achieve those desired results. There is no one size fits all, with the only constant being that all of the windows and doors made at Tanglewood for our discerning clienteles’ one-of-a-kind conservatories is Argon gas filled to precise tolerances to ensure maximum insulating capability; all roof glass and door glass, and windows with glass closer to the floor than eighteen inches, is tempered as per the International Building Code (IBC).
If you plan to set up your easel and paint in your conservatory, you will appreciate the features of a soft coated glass that reduces glare while minimizing distortion of the natural daylight color spectrum. Those of you whose homes are located where intense light and heat rise to the extreme ranges will want to seriously consider heat mirror glass—especially on the roof –to make climate control of your conservatory more manageable. If you reside in a heavily wooded area populated with large trees, laminated glass affords enhanced safety and protection from the potential intrusion of heavy limbs.
You’ll be most pleased if you are among the many that enjoy specimen plants with the specialty glasses featuring properties that reduce the potential of foliage burn while providing optimum light transmission for growth and maintenance. And yes, we’ll even design leaded and stained glass windows just for your conservatory in any style, period or motif that pleases you, whether it is grandly spectacular, light heartedly whimsical, or incorporates an element of nature.
We’ve mentioned just a few circumstances necessitating specific types of glass to meet individual needs. Most clients’ requirements are not characterized by such exacting criteria, and can readily be accommodated with one of the many glasses produced in a selection of grey, bronze or green tint levels from nearly invisible in intensity to heavily shaded.
Today’s selection of high performance glass makes it possible for us to design your Tanglewood conservatory with your comfort and perspective as our principal consideration. This is why we say that the best glass is the glass that’s best for you. All glass is made from the same basic ingredients and comes into being in essentially the same way. How it is heated, treated and otherwise enhanced makes it distinctive and defines its suitability for your individual application. Tanglewood is not affiliated or aligned with a single glass manufacturer, so our only commitment is to you, not to a glass manufacturing company or brand.
