Ribbed glass

Description

A window glass with thin parallel ribs that act as Fresnel lenses. Ribbed, or prismatic, glass produces a diffuse light. It was installed in factory skylights, storefronts, transoms and windows in early 20th century to provide uniform natural lighting.

Synonyms and Related Terms

prismatic glass; vidro estriado (Port.); American 3-Way Prism; Daylight Prism; Luminous Prism; Luxfer Prism; Seachlight Prism; Solar Prism

Resources and Citations

• Dictionary of Building Preservation, Ward Bucher, ed., John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York City, 1996

• Thomas C. Jester (ed.), Twentieth-Century Building Materials, McGraw-Hill Companies, Washington DC, 1995