Innovation

VacStar® Building Vacuum Glass Glazing Retrofit for Existing Building

South Star Glass Limited is proud to showcase its award-winning VacStar® Building Vacuum Glass Glazing Retrofit Technology, recognized at the Green Building Award 2023 for excellence in sustainable building products and technologies. This breakthrough solution demonstrates how advanced glazing can transform existing buildings into energy-efficient, comfortable, and environmentally responsible spaces.

What Makes VacStar® Innovative?

VacStar® Vacuum Glass is similar in configuration to common insulated glass units, but with a vacuum cavity instead of air space. The vacuum layer virtually eliminates heat and sound conduction and convection. This unique design delivers superior thermal insulation and acoustic performance while maintaining sleek aesthetics.

South Star Glass has adopted a 3.5th generation low-temperature metal sealing technology, also known as one step process, that solves the global challenge of tempered glass annealing with first generation glass frit edge seal technology, ensuring fully tempered glass strength & safety, higher vacuum stability and longer service life.

"VacStar® combines its best performance in thermal insulation and noise reduction with appealing aesthetics, integrating seamlessly into existing frames or new curtain walls."

Retrofit Without Waste

Glaspedia Vacuum Glass Glazing Retrofit system is designed to be installed on the room side of existing windows or curtain wall panels. This means:

• No need to remove existing windows → zero landfill waste

• Seamless integration with current structures

• Enhanced safety and security performance

By creating a triple-insulated glass system, VacStar vacuum glass drastically improves solar shading and insulation without adding structural load to the original glass.

Solar Shading & Energy Efficiency

The vacuum glass retrofit system reflects solar radiation outward while blocking heat transfer indoors. This results in:

• ~70% reduction in solar heat gain

• Up to 30% reduction in cooling energy load for typical single-glass commercial windows (tinted or solar reflective)

Such performance directly translates into lower energy bills, reduced carbon emissions, and improved indoor comfort. Besides, the vacuum glass also eliminates condensation that happens commonly to humid climates region.

Sustainable Impact

By enabling retrofit solutions instead of full window replacement, VacStar vacuum glass technology supports circular economy principles and sustainable building practices. It empowers property owners to upgrade energy performance without costly demolition, making it ideal for commercial buildings, heritage architecture, museums, and cultural institutions.

Glaspedia Vacuum Glass Glazing Retrofit represents a leap forward in sustainable architecture. By combining solar control, insulation, and energy savings, it offers a practical pathway for existing buildings to meet modern green building standards while enhancing occupant wellbeing.

This innovative solution is also listed in HKGBC Retrofitting Guidebook as a case study of how this retrofit system improves energy saving and thermal comfort in a real life settings.