The Cristallo uses laminated safety glass specified for overhead glazing. The interlayer holds the panes together if the glass is ever broken, so it stays in place rather than falling clear, which is why laminated glass is the standard for a roof you sit and dine beneath.

Clear glass lets in light and some warmth, so on the hottest days the space is bright and can feel warm. Many owners pair the Cristallo with a side blind or plan its aspect for afternoon shade if summer heat is a concern.

Yes. Because the roof is glass, daylight passes through to any room behind it, where a solid pergola or veranda roof would cast that room into shade. This is the main reason people choose glass over an opaque roof.

The glass roof is pitched to shed water quickly into an integrated gutter, and rain runs off the smooth surface without pooling. You stay dry beneath, and glass carries less drumming than a lightweight roof panel, though you will still hear a downpour.

Glass keeps its clarity. It does not yellow or go cloudy in sunlight, so the Cristallo looks the same in twenty years as it does on the day it goes up. An occasional clean is all it needs.