Owens-Illinois develops glass building block

Develops Glass

Building Block

DEVELOPMENT of an improved glass block for building purposes, which has stood up under pressure of 72,500 lb. to a single block and which is believed to reduce heat flow, deaden sound, transmit and diffuse light, deflect sun glare and resist fire, has been announced by the Owens-Illinois Glass Co., Toledo, Ohio.

Production of the glass blocks on a large scale is going forward at the Muncie, Ind., plant of the company in response to large orders for the material from builders and architects.

Recent refinements in the manufacture of glass "brick" to make the material meet the most exacting requirements of builders is expected by the company to play as important part in revolutionizing the trend of architectural design for certain types of buildings, including industrial buildings, dairies, breweries, laboratories, filling stations, apartment structures, houses, mausoleums and store fronts.

Official announcement of the new development followed the completion of exhaustive tests conducted by the engineering department of Purdue University for compression, adhesion, air pressure, transmission of heat and diffusion of light. The results were so successful that glass blocks are to be used partially in the construction of a building to be erected in the housing reserarch dvelopment of the Purdue Research Foundation.

The Owens-Illinois company also is starting the construction of a large all-glass laboratory building, two stories high, on one of its Toledo properties. The building will use glass blocks entirely on it's structure, besides glass wool for insulation of the roof and for air filters in the air-conditioning system.