In the modern world, we take for granted the comfortable spaces and warming environments of modern architecture. If you need a window replacement in Seattle, WA, you can easily achieve it.
The window was a true human revolution. The glass window transformed how human beings lived in structures. Finally, we could see what we were doing in there. Let there be light!
Keep reading for a brief introduction to the history of glass windows.
History of Glass
Glassmaking at least 3600 BC where the ancient Mesopotamians developed the technique of furnace making in close relation to the Egyptians. The first artifacts were bowls and goblets, and smaller ornamental objects like amulets and trinkets.
The Romans seem to be the first people to have used glass as a window. Although Roman “windows” don’t really resemble a window today. The glass itself wasn’t transparent, and it wasn’t flat.
A Roman “window” was more like a ball of glass, or a cube of glass jammed into a hole in the wall. These objects would be placed in scions in the walls or ceilings to allow light to come into the building without having an open space. It was an object only a rich person or a public space could afford. Poor people used wooded shutters on their windows, which were either closed, or open to light, insects, noise and whatever smells the ancient Roman streets offered.
Around the 9th century A.D., Europeans started to flatten out the glass blobs they used in windows, and the first true windows emerged. Stained glass was the first material placed in windows, and it was often accompanied by intricate designs and patterns.
The main technique to make “ glass”, which was the method used for almost 1000 years until the industrial revolution, was for the glassblower to create giant lumps of glass. This lump would then be flattened out and cut into panes while they were still hot. Forrest glass was invented in central Europe, what is today modern Germany, but spread everywhere from the 8th to the 13th century.
Murano glass was produced in Venice from the 14th century on. This glass was made superior because the Italians used locally sourced quartz pebbles that were almost pure silica. Like modern glass, Murano glass was extremely clear.
Glass windows were finally used as a construction material with the building of the famous Crystal Palace, built in 1851 to house the “Great Exhibition” in London. From then on, people used glass windows just like they would use any other exterior construction material. For 150 years people have used glass windows to make the outside of buildings come the interior space into closer proximity to the exterior.
Today glass is used in almost every building made. There are many types of “glass” from true silica glass to epoxy and plexiglass materials that are more plastic and less molten sand. It’s a modern miracle we often take for granted!
Anyone who is searching for a window replacement in Seattle, WA, should head to the Everlast Window and Door showroom located at 3829B S Edmunds St Seattle, WA 98118. Or you can call us at 206-722-3303. We know windows.