Shanghai is considering rules to restrict new buildings with exterior walls made of glass, after a string of accidents caused by faulty windows added to the woes of skyscrapers in China's most modernized city.

Zhu Yiyi, 19, of Jiangxi province, in the hospital after amputation of part of her left leg. She was hit by falling shards of glass from a broken window in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, on July 8. [Photo/provided to China Daily]

Glass curtain walls will be banned in newly-built apartments, hospitals, schools, kindergartens and rest homes, according to the draft of a new rule that the government said aims to safeguard people's safety, protect the environment and save energy.

Restrictions will also be placed on such walls in scenic sites and places of historic and cultural significance, it said. The government is soliciting public opinion over the rule before being further discussed by experts and officials and finally being put into effect.

Shanghai, home to 23 million people, has about 2,600 buildings with glass curtain walls, and some are too old to be reliable, with problems like cracks, erosion and leaks, the government said.

In May, 50 vehicles were damaged by broken glass falling from the 46th floor of a skyscraper in the city's Lujiazui financial district in one of the worst accidents this year. In July, a woman had part of her leg amputated after being struck by a pane of glass from a high-rise in the neighboring Zhejiang Province.

As building maintenance in Shanghai is believed to lag seriously behind other world cities, the draft of the new rule calls for a periodic safety overhaul of glass curtain walls.

Skyscraper builders and property owners must set up funds earmarked for repairs, it said.

Even a small piece of glass falling from high above can be as powerful as a bullet, experts warn, adding that glass curtain walls also cause light pollution and lead to excessive energy consumption because of an easy passage of heat.

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