Visual Comfort
Creating a more enjoyable experience on board with clear views, natural light and minimum glare.
Understanding and enhancing visual comfort
Visual comfort can be difficult to define and is an emerging field of study. Definitions and metrics continue to evolve. For many, it is characterised by having enough natural light (and secondarily, artificial light), glare control, and access to views of the outdoors. We know that light and outdoor views are essential for health and wellbeing. In the confined interiors of a vessel, they are especially important in creating a feeling of space and a connection with the outside world.
How can we enhance visual comfort?
Some of the main considerations to ensure crews and passengers enjoy unobstructed views and block unwanted glare while also getting enough light.
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Natural daylight: letting in natural light as opposed to artificial lighting to enhance health and wellbeing
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Control: if the occupants can adapt the light to suit their needs, they can achieve their own level of comfort
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Extreme conditions: taking into account high levels of humidity and extreme temperatures often experienced on board
Why is glazing so important onboard?
Glazing is one of the main ways we can have a positive impact on visual comfort. Designing and building windows involves achieving the right balance between light transmission, glare reduction and insulating capacity.
Light transmission (LT)
The benefits of natural light aboard enhance comfort. Having the right level of light can also reduce energy consumption and improve productivity and the overall sense of wellbeing.
G-factor
The G-factor is the percentage of total solar radiant heat energy transmitted through glazing. The lower the g-value, the better the glass will be at reducing heat transfer.
U-value
The heat transfer coefficient measures the rate of heat transfer through an element over a given area under standardised conditions. A smaller U-value is better at reducing heat transfer.
Optimising all three factors will help you maximise visual comfort.
Why is dynamic glass so useful?
Smart glass dynamically changes tint in response to the sun to provide unobstructed views of the outdoors, while also increasing comfort by blocking heat and glare. As technologies advance, you no longer need to tint the entire pane of glass to block the source of heat and glare. For example, SageGlass Harmony™ has a natural, gradual in-pane tint transition from fully clear to fully tinted to protect you exactly where you need it. You can regulate the amount of sun that penetrates a window with three different levels of glare protection and daylight entry are possible within the same pane.
Dynamic glass therefore provides enhanced control of daylight, glare and energy use without the need for traditional solutions like blinds, shades or low-e glass.
Why choose electrically heated glass?
Electrically heated glass is ideal for external applications, including wheelhouses, restaurants and cabins, to ensure clear, undisturbed views no matter how cold or humid the weather. A solution like Vetrotech’s THERMOVIT® stays free of ice and condensation in cold climates and doesn’t fog in high humidity with heating capacities between 3 – 30 W/dm². The laminated glass can be electrically heated using almost invisible conductive wires or by an invisible metal-oxide coating for complete transparency, undistorted and unobstructed visibility. What’s more, heated glass also helps improve ambient comfort by reducing the cold surface effect of the glass.
Optimise visual comfort in your vessel
Marine glazing solutions
Vetrotech
Heated glass designed to keep windows within the marine environment free from frost, snow, vapour and condensation for clear, undistorted views in all weather conditions.
SageGlass
SageGlass® solutions tint in response to the amount of sunlight to reduce glare, keep heat inside and provide clear outdoor views.
SAINT-GOBAIN SULLY
Complete armoured glazing solutions for maximum protection and visibility in extreme marine conditions.
Beyond visual comfort
As well as optimising visual comfort, our glazing solutions also provide additional benefits. Pressure and fire-resistant safety glass enhance your passive safety strategy and meets the ISO 614 standard for toughened safety glass. Glass can also play a key role in reducing energy costs by helping control the ambient temperature and limit the weight of your vessel. STADIP SILENCE acoustic laminated glass contains a special film interlayer that contributes to reducing sound transmission by suppressing sound waves intrusion around the critical frequency of the glass.