lass blocks offer practically limitless design possibilities and can be used for several applications.

The transparent element owes its renaissance to several benefits, most important of which is its ability to transform itself endlessly. The flexible application possibilities of the material ranges from facades to interiors in commercial as well as home architecture, and the material is even used to build stalls in trade fairs, says a spokesman for the German manufacturer.
The Construction Glass division of Saint-Gobain Oberland, based near Koblenz in Germany, manufactures a product palette, which includes a wide array of glass blocks catering to every taste and suited for a wide range of applications. Says the spokesman: “The product palette of the traditional company, which stresses quality and service, includes the classic white transparent block in addition to coloured and special-purpose glass blocks. It features different decors such as ‘light diffusing’, ‘satinised’, ‘light directing’ or ‘cross-ribbed’ in a variety of hues such as rose, turquoise, light green, blue, grey and azure blue. Special solutions such as the new 45-degree edge block, glass corner elements and toughened glass blocks round off the comprehensive range of products.”
Besides producing glass packaging at a total of four sites in Germany, the company manufactures the Solaris line of glass blocks – a segment, which has rapidly grown to become a core product.
“The design possibilities using glass blocks are virtually endless thanks to the wide variety of hues, forms, structures and decors,” the spokesman continues. “Aside from the inherent light effects of glass, the contemporary material offers a range of benefits not apparent at first sight: depending on the structure and model, almost all Solaris glass blocks meet the requirements of fire-protection class G 30 and G 60, special glass blocks even G 90 and G 120.
“Walls and ceilings built with Solaris glass blocks can also be built to meet the next higher F class in accordance with DIN 4102, Parts 2 and 13 class F 30 to F90. Glass blocks also provide excellent sound insulation without affecting transparency. Not least, they are robust and resistant to impact, scratching or even acids, making them ideally suited for much-used spaces such as bathrooms and kitchens. Glass blocks retard projectiles and can be reinforced to inhibit physical intrusion.”
Another equally important key to the company’s success is the fact that the Construction Glass division works in close co-operation with architects and users. The company redesigned its Internet presence in 2002, in order to facilitate information updates, reflecting the company’s policy of staying close to its customers. Time and again, the proximity to customers has resulted in the development of innovative and sophisticated solutions for glass block applications, the spokesman adds.
The Construction Glass division was certified as early as in 1994 according to the stringent standards of DIN ISO 9002 and went on to acquire the coveted Environmental Compliance Certificate in 1997.
Saint-Gobain Oberland exports its products all over the world to more than 70 countries. “Doing business with an internationally established company is what gives customers, designers, architects and builders as well as the construction materials industry alike, the reassurance of receiving products meeting the highest standards of quality and technical precision,” says the spokesman.