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The facade technology of the future combines the advantages of both glass and composite. Design innovations offered by this technology can be seen at Swissbau 2007.
The 9-metre high facade of the stairway tower forming part of the demo building at Swissbau 2007 gives an impression of the new opportunities made possible by combining glass and composite: ‘continuous’ expanses of glass united by almost invisible, high-insulation joints. The technology is called Composite Glazing (pat. pend.)
The new landmark technology is a product of international collaboration. The University of Stuttgart is responsible for the design, the Swiss company Glas Trösch supplied the glass, did the bonding and carried out the necessary testing, while the loadbearing composite profiles were produced by Denmark’s Fiberline Composites, a supplier to the European glass, facade and window industries.
Architect Ueli Moor of Glas Trösch says: The large expanses of glazing in this demo facade are possible because the new technology combines and harnesses the strengths of both glass and composite.”
At the University of Stuttgart’s Faculty of Loadbearing Structures and Structural Design (ITKE), the combination of glass and composite is an important field of research and has been this for many years. The demo facade at Swissbau 2007 is among the first full-scale structures and will therefore supply valuable know-how for future research,” say Prof. Jan Knippers and Dr. Stefan Peters of Stuttgart University.
“Glass and composite have virtually identical linear expansion and complement each other superbly. Bonded together they form a loadbearing component that can therefore be used to achieve very slender facade profiles,” says Dr. Stefan Peters, a researcher in the combination of glass and composite.
Facade technology for modern architecture
“The new technology offers architects and facade builders hitherto unprecedented design opportunities,” emphasises architect Gonzalo Guddat of Fiberline Composites.
“It is the preferred solution of many architects because they can create almost unlimited expanses of glazing. The view from inside is therefore wholly unobstructed by bulky frames or posts. Our customers are also able to integrate a variety of functions into their facade or window product,” says Gonzalo Guddat.
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