It was discovered by accident in 1974 by Chinese farmers sinking a well and has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1987: The Terrecotta Army of Xi'an in the Chinese province of Shaanxi with over 7000 lifesize clay figures is one of the most valuable art treasures in the world. Now, this burial object of the first Chinese emperor Qin is protected by so called Heated Glass with the product name IQGlass® - a special glass with metal coating which creates a perfect source of warmth with electricity. Of course, part of this is the warm edge technology from Edgetech, Super Spacer®, which ensures that the special glass is optimally sealed.

The Belgian firm Ceyssens produces wall and floor elements for the emperor's mausoleum from Heated Glass, a special insulating glass especially designed for this purpose: the highly sensitive figures, only a quarter of which have so far been uncovered by the exceptionally difficult archaeological excavation, were left in place and the museum was simply built around the mausoleum. Dampness is a permanent problem as the figures are not located at ground level, but instead several meters below the earth's surface.

The metal coating distributes warmth evenly across the entire glass surface, each individual element can be controlled separately. At the same time a coating on the outer side ensures that the warmth is only directed towards the inside and that the cold air outside does not get through. "Heated Glass was developed over 20 years ago by Pierre Glorieux, but production only started around three years ago", says managing director Dirk Ceyssens: "The Terracotta Army is one of our first major projects with Heated Glass. We are also already working on five other projects in China and various others in Europe, including some in Luxembourg, Portugal and Great Britain. The Super Spacer® is the ideal spacer for us here, because it is easy to use and has excellent thermal properties - which of course are extremely important for Heated Glass."

Just how well Super Spacer® and Heated Glass work together is demonstrated by the impressive thermal insulation value in normal gas-filled units of 0.8 W/m²k. This ideal combination of innovation and optimum material properties makes Super Spacer® and Heated Glass the best possible insulated glass for challenging architecture and specialised purposes, where for example conventional heating has to be avoided - or for complex roof glazing that not only has to insulate well, but also warm the area sufficiently too.

About Edgetech I.G.

Edgetech I.G. was already founded in 1985 and in 1989 became a 100% subsidiary of Lauren International, located in Cambridge, Ohio. With Super Spacer® - the flexible spacer made of silicone foam - Edgetech has revolutionized the insulating glass production. Super Spacer´s features are extreme temperature resistance, durability and flexibility. Beside product development and production, Edgetech offers a wide selection of services for the glass industry. In August 2002 Edgetech reinforced the business in Central Europe. In January 2004 Edgetech Europe Ltd., located in Neuss/Germany, was established.