Cement is used to make concrete which in turn is used for roadways, dams, buildings, and bridges. Uses of glass in the construction industry include various types of windows, glass block, and fibres for use in insulation, ceiling panels and roofing tiles. Brick is used for homes and commercial buildings because of its strength, durability, and beauty. Brick is the only building product that will not burn, melt, dent, peel, warp, rot, rust or be eaten by termites. Tile is used in applications such as flooring, walls, countertops, and fireplaces.
Tile is also a very durable and hygienic construction product that adds beauty to any application.
An important invention that changed the lives of millions of people was the incandescent light bulb. This important invention by Thomas Edison in 1879 would not be possible without the use of glass. Glass's properties of hardness, transparency, and its ability to withstand high temperatures and hold a vacuum at the same time made the light bulb a reality. The evolution of lighting technology since this time has been characterized by the invention of increasingly brighter and more efficient light sources. By the middle of twentieth century, methods of lighting seemed well established - with filament and fluorescent lamps for interiors, neon lamps for exterior advertising and signs, and sodium discharge lamps for streets.