Archetech Issue 42 2019 | Page 110

NEOLITH ® ’S ARCTIC WHITE SILK WAS SPECIFIED AFTER MANY OPTIONS WERE CONSIDERED. TEHERANI FELT OFFERED GREATER SCOPE THAN ANY OF ITS COMPETITORS. MATERIALS MATTER As has been noted by the media on many occasions, Teherani is fascinated by new materials, recognising their potential for greater creative freedom and flexibility than traditional building products. For Flare of Frankfurt, he was particularly interested in the properties of Sintered Stone and its suitability for the urban environment. With high levels of resistance to staining and pollution, combined with being both lightweight and waterproof, it was ideal for handling the hustle and bustle of the metropolis. From a style perspective, the architect opted for an understated palette, allowing the façade’s raised geometric shapes to stand out without becoming loud and overbearing. Neolith ® ’s Arctic White Silk was specified after many options were considered. Teherani felt offered greater scope than any of its competitors. Furthermore, Germany has a number of strict building codes and regulations which needed to be taken into account. Neolith met all these criteria. EXPERT APPLICATION Approximately 6000m2 of Neolith slabs were used, cut to size according to the blueprint specifications. The 6mm thick surface was applied by curtain wall specialists Lithodecor using a sandwich construction. According to Lithodecor’s Head of Product Management, Philipp Wirtz, who worked directly with Teherani to bring his complex ideas for the façade to life, the project was not without its challenges. He explains, “The high-end façades market is growing rapidly across Europe, with many more developers looking for tailored and bespoke solutions. Flare of Frankfurt is a stand-out example of this trend. It represented a very good test of our skills and abilities. One thing that struck me was the manufacturing of the panels, subsequent transportation to the site and their physical application.” He continues, “This project required a high level of prefabrication due to the specification of the panels we were working with, these were storey sized (3.10m x 11.50m). As such you can imagine the care we had to take to transport them through Frankfurt’s busy streets without damaging them. Once there we literally hooked these onto supporting steel beams, a process requiring a high degree of precision, using our own proprietary technique, Lithodecor Airtech System. “As you can see from the finished structure, we were able to overcome these difficulties to deliver a building with real character. A fantastic addition to Frankfurt’s diverse architecture.” He concludes, “In terms of Neolith, there’s little competition when working on this type of façade project. It outperforms on all levels and in my opinion, the building will look as good in ten years as it does now.” www.neolith.com/