Natural Daylight, how it affects our overall health and why we should consider using daylighting strategies when improving our indoor spaces.
When thinking about the quality of natural daylight and its impact on human health, here are some key factors that need to be considered: Effectiveness of Indoor Daylighting Indoor daylighting is generally less effective than direct outdoor sunlight for regulating hormones due to lower light intensity and the filtering effects of windows. Indoor daylighting can significantly affect…
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Bird-Safe Glass: Modern Design That Protects Birds — With a View
When Design Meets Responsibility Each year, millions of birds die after colliding with windows and glass façades they cannot see. As modern architecture embraces open, light-filled designs with expansive glazing, the risk of bird collisions has increased.Fortunately, innovative bird-safe glass now allows architects, builders, and homeowners to design responsibly—preserving daylight and transparency while protecting wildlife.…
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Clearer Views, Smarter Design: The Next Generation of Unit Skylights
For decades, the unit skylight industry has looked much the same — acrylic domes sitting on curbs, offering daylight but often distorting views, aging quickly, and eventually leaking. That era is ending. Crystal Structures and VTech have partnered to introduce a new standard in daylighting: the CMC Series Unit Skylight — a factory-sealed, glass-glazed, curb-mounted…
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Why Quality Matters: Choosing an Architectural-Grade Greenhouse Over a Budget Greenhouse Kit
If you’re looking to build a greenhouse, especially for a school, university, or public space, you’ve probably come across a wide range of options. On one end, you’ll find affordable, thin-walled polycarbonate kits from overseas. On the other end, high-performance, architectural-grade greenhouses like the GrowTech series from Crystal Structures. At first glance, the price difference…
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Sunroom or Solarium? Helping Clients Use the Right Term Before Design Begins
Hey architects — how often does a client come to you asking for a sunroom, when what they actually mean is a solarium or conservatory? It happens all the time. And while those terms get tossed around interchangeably in residential design, they carry very different meanings — especially in the commercial glazing world. Understanding the…
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Polycarbonate vs. Fiberglass: Why Architects Have Moved On
Once upon a time, fiberglass panels were the standard for translucent walls and skylights. They were practical, inexpensive, and filled a need. But if we’re honest, they’ve aged about as well as shag carpet and wood paneling. Architects today are looking for materials that perform better, last longer, and look sharper — and that’s where…
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Crystal Structures Inc. enhances its workflow and customer experience through thespelas.com and monday.com
Crystal Structures advances the company-wide upgrades to software systems to address its rapid growth and provide a state-of-the-art experience for customers Crystal Structures, a leading designer and manufacturer of glazed structures nationally, has announced the successful deployment of monday.com, a global software company that transforms how businesses run, through thespelas.com, a monday.com certified partner. The…
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Mirropane and the Science Behind It
Imagine a glass that looks like a mirror on one side yet allows someone on the other side to see through unnoticed. That’s the concept behind Mirropane® glass, often called “one-way mirror glass.” It’s not magic, it’s physics, design coordination, and most importantly, lighting. How Mirropane Works Mirropane is made by coating one side of…
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Part 5: Metrics Matter – Daylighting Models Architects Can Trust
Daylighting is no longer about instinct—it’s about proof.For architects and owners, questions come early and often: When a design moves forward, no one wants surprises. That’s why predictive modeling is transforming the way skylights and glazed roof systems are specified. The Metrics that Matter Today’s most widely used daylighting performance benchmarks include: These aren’t just…
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