3 ms·
There’s a converse trick: divided lites. Many newer doors and windows that appear to have small panes of glass (“lites”) separated by strips of wood or metal ar
by amluto 4y ago
There’s a converse trick: divided lites. Many newer doors and windows that appear to have small panes of glass (“lites”) separated by strips of wood or metal are actually large insulated glass units (sets of multiple sheets of glass and their spacers and sealing hardware) decorated with wood, metal or plastic outside the glass. Sometimes a strip of something is out in between the panes glass as well to make it less obvious.
It turns out that double- or triple-paned glass is a better insulator than wood, and the perimeter is a meaningful part of the cost, so one large unit is better for cost and performance than a bunch of small units.
- mikeg8 4y agoI’m familiar with divided lites and your description of a modern SDL (simulated divided lite) vs TDL (true divided…) but I don’t think it’s in the same category of “architectural trick”. This post is on a change in scale/proportionality that has an optical illusion type of effect. SDLs are a change in construction method that has zero effect on the aesthetic of the architecture but solely performance and costs. Slightly different IMO
- hgsgm 4y agoWhy does SDL exist, instead of having no dividers? What purpose do they serve besides simulating separate panes? Are they more economical than having no dividers at all?
- amluto 4y agoI don’t think so. But some people like the style.
- quesera 4y agoDivided lites used to be the only way to make a large window. Large panes of glass were impossible or very expensive. That's not true any more, but the "old style" is aesthetically pleasing to some, and sometimes even required by law for old houses. Today, True divided lites are more expensive -- more material, more handling, more assembly. And simulated divided lites are a cheap way to pretend to be expensive, or historically correct. I always rip 'em out, personally.