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With Compactwall TR, PV mounting specialists Aerocompact have recently expanded their range of mounting solutions for solar facades. This system specifically designed for sandwich panel walls allows for a better weight distribution.
The safety and performance characteristics of building products have to be guaranteed. This also applies to window and facade elements. However, it is not always possible to put these usually large objects through their paces to meet the applicable standards. In Germany, there are only a few window and facade test stands in institutes that are authorised to carry out the tests in accordance with the regulations.
With its spectacular architecture, the luxury hotel ‘Koenigshof, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Munich’, designed by the Spanish architectural firm Nieto Sobejano, provides an exciting counterpoint to the historic buildings on Munich's Stachus. The architects chose highly selective functional glass from Saint-Gobain for the glazing of the five-star hotel.
Building-integrated PV modules are interesting alternatives to standard facade elements, and not just for new-build facades. Experience shows that such PV elements are only accepted by building owners and planners if they are visually appealing. The new ColorQuant glass colours were specifically developed to give PV elements a colourful design. Holger Geisler, Managing Director at Ceramic Colors Wolbring GmbH, has 3 answers.
The Wicona project study TEmotion NG with ‘Water-filled Glass’ is designed to ensure outstanding energy efficiency and an optimised carbon footprint. Together with Water-Filled Glass Ltd, Wicona has developed TEmotion NG, a revolutionary facade solution that was recently presented as a study.
Living conditions are changing - and require existing living space to be adapted to new needs. For example, sport and work have long been among the activities that people pursue in their homes. Balcony glazing takes account of this increasingly multifunctional use of living space, as it ensures that balconies are more conveniently connected to the living space and thus create additional usable space.
When it comes to building-integrated PV elements for the facade, the visual appearance is crucial for architects to use such systems. At the same time, in addition to the aesthetic requirements, functional and, increasingly, environmental aspects must also go hand in hand. Holger Geisler, CEO of Ceramic Colors Wolbring, the only company in the world that can provide an almost unlimited range of colours specifically for solar modules, explains the details.
Sustainability and security are a key feature of facade construction today. With this in mind, Wicona (Ulm) and Sommer Fassadensysteme - Stahlbau - Sicherheitstechnik (Döhlau) have agreed a strategic partnership. Here you can find out what the aim of the new co-operation is.
The Glass Performance Days (GPD) 2025 will take place from 10 to 12 June at the Nokia Arena in Tampere, Finland. The world's largest glass conference brings together specialists and entrepreneurs from the glass industry to present and discuss the latest technologies, products and innovations.
EuroWindoor has submitted detailed feedback on the revised draft Annexes of the EU standardisation request for windows and doors. The industry organisation calls for streamlined processes, clear guidance and practical standards to support innovation and competitiveness in the European market.
Next Energy Technologies, a pioneer in organic photovoltaic (OPV) technology, has upgraded its production line to produce 1.0 by 1.5 metres (40 by 60 inches) laminated transparent windows employing the Next OPV coating and manufacturing process. These new units are the largest transparent OPV windows produced anywhere in the world. Find out more on this here.
Two German major players in the building envelope sector are joining forces: heroal and Solarlux are launching a strategic partnership that offers building owners and specialised companies real added value. The starting signal was given at BAU in Munich - with exciting prospects.
Glass facades are an integral part of modern architecture, but often pose a danger to birds as they do not recognise reflective or transparent glass surfaces as an obstacle. To minimise this risk, the glass facade of the Futurium in Berlin was fitted with bird protection glass. Find out here which product was used.
This year, a walk-on steel cross with glass windows is to be placed on the highest tower of the Sagrada Familia. This will make it the tallest church tower in the world, towering 10 metres above Ulm Minster. Facade builder Gartner is currently constructing the 17-metre-high structure made of glass, steel and high-performance concrete, whose four arms have a span of around 13 metres.
As of January 1, 2025, Dr. Andreas Bachmann has taken on the position of Director Operations at Josef Gartner GmbH, strengthening the façade construction company’s leadership team alongside CEO Jürgen Wax. Together with the operational departments and project management, he will ensure the successful execution of complex projects worldwide.
The curved glass facade of the new Wera-Welle in Wuppertal is an eye-catcher. With individually manufactured, curved glass panes from Arnold Glas, the building demonstrates technical excellence. The Solarlux D40 insulating glass units installed combine optimum thermal insulation and sun shading with aesthetics. The project was realised by Arnold Glas and the Isolar network.
The Belval blast furnace road in Luxembourg is being transformed from a 120-hectare industrial wasteland into a modern urban neighbourhood. The two preserved blast furnaces and other industrial monuments have been integrated into the urban development. One of the buildings, the ‘Möllerei’, was fitted with new steel profile facades from Schüco Stahlsystem Jansen.
In Basel, Roche is concentrating its pharmaceutical research in the pRED Innovation Centre. The two laboratory buildings, which are up to 114 metres high and are among the tallest in the world, were clad with a highly transparent Closed Cavity facade (CCF) by facade manufacturer Gartner. Large elements, in which concave reflective stainless steel sheets are integrated, enclose the corners.
In April 2024, the Smart Campus, a technically state-of-the-art and intelligently networked vocational training and research centre for popular and high-performance sport, opened in Bordeaux in the south of France. The dynamic glass facade with SageGlass Classic ensures the best lighting conditions for athletes and researchers.
Awnings are perfect for effective sun shading for patios and balconies. However, in times of climate change and rising energy costs, innovative solutions that extend the benefits of traditional awnings are gaining in importance. One such forward-looking development is power-generating awnings (with integrated photovoltaic cells) from Belusol.
TGT Teupen will be presenting innovative lifting solutions at BAU 2025. Highlights include the emission-free Robby Ecoline series, the Robby 2000 with a 2000 kg lifting capacity – and much more.
Fraunhofer ISE and Fraunhofer UMSICHT have developed a prefabricated facade element with integrated photovoltaics that combines power generation, weather protection and thermal insulation. The elimination of an additional substructure for the solar modules saves large amounts of material.
When it comes to facades, aesthetics, function and sustainability must harmonise perfectly. At the same time, the appearance has to be right. Thanks to the ColorQuant technology from Ceramic Colors Wolbring, coloured solar modules can now be produced for facades that offer a high degree of design freedom and high performance. GW-News went to find out first-hand what this technology and the almost unlimited colour palette are all about.
The Rock is a striking building on the banks of the Danube Canal in Vienna's 2nd District. The award-winning facade of the RED hotel consists of a large number of folded aluminium elements. The facade uses sunbelt solar control glass from arcon, which also reduces the facade's carbon footprint.
Using a laser printing process, Hegla boraident from Halle in Germany offers a solution for making window and facade glass visible to birds. At glasstec 2024, the company presented the BIRDfriend Mobile, a device that can be used to retrofit existing glass surfaces with protection against bird strike.
