Studio glass thickness

Posted: Fri May 16, 2008 12:01 pm

Hi all, I'm a new member but I've been reading the forums for awhile....

Quick question, hopefully someone can answer pretty easily. I'm helping a new studio owner finish the buildout of his studio, and a situation came up today.

The original design for the control room window called for 1/2" double pane glass on one side of the airspace, and 3/4" double pane glass on the other side of the airspace, and of course they are both installed at an angle. The glass arrived today, and it turns out that both pieces were made at 3/4".

We can't get in touch with the designer any more (don't get me started, long story) so I'm wondering what, if any, effect this will have. I would imagine that a little bit thicker would actually improve the isolation between control room and studio, but I started thinking that maybe with an identical thickness, it might cause the two panes of glass to resonate with each other. There has to be a reason the designer specified 1/2" and 3/4" in the first place, instead of both 3/4".

Anyone have any quick wisdom for me on this? The sooner the better, as the builders are actually here right now, scratching their heads, trying to figure out what to do. If we have to send this glass back, it's going to put us way behind schedule, but I don't want to install it if it's going to screw us in the long run.

Thanks!
- Blake Eiseman

Posted: Fri May 16, 2008 9:23 pm

binkatl wrote:

The original design for the control room window called for 1/2" double pane glass on one side of the airspace, and 3/4" double pane glass on the other side of the airspace, and of course they are both installed at an angle. The glass arrived today, and it turns out that both pieces were made at 3/4".

- Blake Eiseman

Hi Blake.

Guess you guys have installed this already :) Anyway, I don't know much about anything but I know a few things. Like double pane glass is essentially mass/air/mass. Put in another /air/ and yet another double pane(mass/air/mass) you have yourself a mass/air/mass/air/mass/air/mass glass? A quadruple leaf :)

As I understand it, low frequency, the hardest to contain, is the area most effected by 2 + leaf systems.

Is that laminated glass? That would be a different thing all together. You can get several different stories on difference of thickness depending on how old or who or where your information comes from. The glass usually is rated to have the ability to contain sound at the same level, or better, than the wall(s) it is installed in.

Good luck

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