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Architectural glass panels for use in a wide variety of building wall systems, such as curtain walls and storefronts, which have improved resistance to damage from earthquake and/or other loads that could cause horizontal racking movements of architectural glass panels within their glazing frames ar

Architectural glass panels for use in a wide variety of building wall systems, such as curtain walls and storefronts, which have improved resistance to damage from earthquake and/or other loads that could cause horizontal racking movements of architectural glass panels within their glazing frames are disclosed. Embodiments include various types of architectural glass panels that have material removed at panel corners and are fabricated with smooth edge contours in the corner regions. A preferred embodiment includes various types of architectural glass panels that have rounded corners with or without finished edges.

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1. A building comprising at least one rectangular frame having an architectural glass panel within the rectangular frame, wherein the architectural glass panel has material removed at each corner and has finished edge surfaces and smooth edge contours in the corner regions and along the perimeter of

1. A building comprising at least one rectangular frame having an architectural glass panel within the rectangular frame, wherein the architectural glass panel has material removed at each corner and has finished edge surfaces and smooth edge contours in the corner regions and along the perimeter of the glass panel. 2. The building of claim 1 wherein the corners of the glass panel are rounded. 3. The building of claim 1 or 2 wherein the glass panel comprises annealed monolithic architectural glass, heat-strengthened monolithic architectural glass, fully tempered monolithic architectural glass, or chemically strengthened monolithic architectural glass. 4. The building of claim 1 or 2, wherein the glass panel comprises an insulating glass unit. 5. The building of claim 1 or 2, wherein the glass panel comprises a laminated glass unit. 6. The building of claim 1 or 2, wherein a polymeric film is adhered to the glass panel. 7. The building of claim 6, wherein the polymeric film is adhered to the glass panel with the edges of the film anchored to a glazing frame member. 8. The building of claim 1 or 2, wherein the glass panel is anchored to a glazing frame and wherein the glazing frame comprises metal, metal alloys, wood, polymeric materials, ceramics, or any combination of these materials. 9. The building of claim 7, wherein the glass panel has clean-cut, seamed, ground, polished, or some combination thereof, as the finished edge surfaces in the corner regions. 10. The building of claim 1 or 2, wherein the glass panel has shaped, ground, or polished edges and corner regions. 11. The building of claim 2, wherein the rounded corner glass panel has corner radii of about one half inch (about 13 mm) to about 2 inches (about 51 mm). 12. The building of claim 2, wherein the rounded corner glass panel has asymmetric radii or compound radii. 13. The building of claim 1 or 2 comprising a curtain wall wherein the at least one rectangular frame is an element of the curtain wall. 14. The building of claim 1 or 2 comprising a storefront wall system wherein the at least one rectangular frame is an element of the storefront wall system. 15. The building of claim 1 or 2 comprising a punched opening window system, wherein the at least one rectangular frame is an element of the punched opening window. 16. The building of claim 1 or 2 comprising a ribbon window system, wherein the at least one rectangular frame is an element of the ribbon window. 17. The building of claim 1 or 2 comprising a strip window system, wherein the at least one rectangular frame is an element of the strip window. 18. A method of increasing the earthquake damage resistance of an architectural glass panel within a building, the method comprising fitting an architectural glass panel having material removed at each corner and having finished edge surfaces and smooth edge contours in the corner regions and along the perimeter of the glass panel in a rectangular frame of a building. 19. A method of increasing the earthquake damage resistance of a glass panel in an existing building, the method comprising retrofitting or replacing a square or rectangular-cornered glass panel in the building with an architectural glass panel having material removed at each corner and having finished edge surfaces and smooth edge contours in the corner regions and along the perimeter of the glass panel. 20. A method of increasing the earthquake damage resistance of a glass panel within a building, the method comprising: removing an original glass panel from a building;modifying the corner region geometry of the original glass panel to form a glass panel having material removed at its corners and fabricated with smooth edge contours in the corner regions; andinserting the modified geometry glass panel back in the building. 21. The method of claim 18 wherein the material removed produces a glass panel having rounded corners. 22. A method of increasing the earthquake resistance of an architectural glass panel, comprising providing said glass panel in a rectangular frame of a building wherein said glass panel has modified-geometry corner means combined with edge finish means and edge profile means at the corners and along the perimeter for increasing said glass panel's ability to accommodate contacts with other glazing components during earthquakes, thereby increasing said glass panel's resistance to earthquake damage when in the rectangular frame of the building. 23. A glazed earthquake damage resistant architectural glass panel, comprising: (a) at least one rectangular frame element, and(b) a rectangular architectural glass panel of predetermined dimensions and composition for its intended architectural use, and modified-geometry corner means combined with edge finish means and edge profile shape means at the corners and along the perimeter of said glass panel so as to increase said glass panel's ability to accommodate contacts with other glazing components during earthquakes whereby said glass panel's resistance to glass cracking and glass fallout damage is increased in said at least one rectangular frame element. 24. The glazed earthquake damage resistant architectural glass panel of claim 23, wherein said glazed earthquake damage resistant architectural glass panel is a component of said rectangular frame selected from the group of wall system types consisting of curtain wall, storefront, punched opening, ribbon, strip, and any combination thereof. 25. A method of increasing the earthquake damage resistance of a glazed architectural glass panel in an existing building, the method comprising replacing said glass panel in said existing building with a rectangular architectural glass panel of predetermined dimensions and composition for its intended architectural use, and modified-geometry corner means combined with edge finish means and edge profile shape means at the corners and along the perimeter of said glass panel so as to increase said glass panel's ability to accommodate contacts with other glazing components during earthquakes whereby said glass panel's resistance to glass cracking and glass fallout damage is increased. 26. A method of increasing the earthquake damage resistance of a glazed architectural glass panel in an existing building, the method comprising: (a) removing said glass panel from said existing building;(b) providing modified-geometry corner means combined with edge finish means and edge profile shape means at the corners and along the perimeter of said glass panel for increasing said glass panel's ability to accommodate contacts with other glazing components during earthquakes; and(c) reglazing said glass panel with modified geometry corner means in said building, whereby glass cracking and glass fallout resistance of said glass panel are increased.