We’ve written a few posts in the past highlighting gold’s invaluable uses in the aerospace industry. It’s plated ultra-thin over the windshields of jets, where an electric current flows through to de-ice at high altitudes. Gold is also used in space suits and to lubricate mechanical parts on space stations, both because of its high-resistance to solar radiation. But, this technology isn’t limited to the skies and space. It’s already been done on the ground at the Royal Bank Plaza in Toronto, Canada.
The plaza consists of two towers that were built in the 1970s to serve as the headquarters for the Royal Bank of Canada. Of course, they are architectural marvels with many notable features. But perhaps the most famous part of the Royal Bank Plaza is the window construction – more than 14,000 windows made with bronze, gold, and glass.
Gold is so malleable, that it can be pounded thin enough to be see-through. Such a thin coating of gold glazing in windows provides excellent reflection of heat radiation, keeping buildings cool in summer and warm in winter. To create the windows for Royal Bank Plaza, Canadian Pittsburgh Industries used 7.1 kilograms of gold.
According to current gold prices, each window is worth about $200!
