The serraglaze window - a revolution in daylighting

SERRAGLAZE is a breakthrough daylighting system designed to be incorporated into the primary glazing of normal sidelit rooms to save energy and enhance comfort.The paper describes the design, construction and optical properties of the plastic SERRAGLAZE panel, the key component of the system. This transmits the light needed to maintain a view through the window, but intercepts higher incidence light and redirects it to provide reduced near-window glare and increased deep-room illumination levels.The SERRAGLAZE panel is shown to comprise two identical transparent high precision plastic mouldings, each having one flat surface and one containing microscopic grooves that intermesh with those of the other moulding. The intermeshed surfaces are physically and optically bonded together to form a composite panel containing a multitude of microscopic air pockets that act as near-perfect mirrors by the phenomenon of total internal reflection. These air pockets are entirely responsible for the optical properties of the material.The paper then reviews how the plastic SERRAGLAZE panels are preferably incorporated into glazings and windows. Included in this review is a description of a new type of window design, known as the enhanced SERRAGLAZE window, which has been developed to maximise the daylighting benefits.