Research developments on glass structures under extreme loads

The increasingly use of glass in buildings certainly represents a new challenge for designers and researchers. On one side, the continuous development and innovation supports the development of novel solutions. At the same time, research studies and efforts are still required to optimize the safety levels and structural performances of this unconventional constructional material. Finally, a special care must be necessarily spent for the protection of glass structural elements and systems from the effects of potentially extreme design loads that may occur during their life-time (such as impact or explosive events, but also earthquakes, fire accidents and even excessive vibrations). In most of the cases, the major challenge comes from the mechanical (and even thermal) interaction of primary glass components with other constructional materials, like metal fasteners, and others. This paper gives evidence of some research developments and ongoing challenges.