Sheffield glazed tower gets go-ahead

A huge glazed tower in Sheffield will be completed after all, following the news that the local authority has agreed to alterations to its original design, according to thestar.co.uk.

The 32-storey building, called City Lofts, is set to have its first five floors clad in clear glass, while the remaining 27 will be constructed of a mixture of opaic and clear glass for improved energy efficiency.

The original design had been a sleek, clear-glass building according to the website, but the architects decided they would like to change it to one consisting of coloured glass in order to conserve energy – a decision that nearly stopped the project going ahead as the local council took exception.

A compromise has now been reached though and the building will go ahead with a mixture of the two.

There is a definite trend emerging in favour of the use of glass in building work, with conservatories being a major example of this.

According to the Daily Telegraph, conservatory sales in the UK are approaching 200,000 per year and around ten per cent of new glass goes to the construction of conservatories.