NEWSWORTHY
BESPOKE FIXING SOLUTION CREATED BY TAL FOR THE NDZUNDZA / NZUNZA PORTRAIT
TAL is proud to have supplied a bespoke fixing solution for the Ndzundza / Nzunza Portrait , a larger than life art installation on the west wall of City Property ’ s North City House in Braamfontein , now renamed Nzunza House . Working closely with artist , Hannelie Coetzee , a bespoke fixing solution was developed exclusively for this installation .
Using the concept of pixels as inspiration , Hannelie created the portrait using ceramic plates , bowls and cups from the Johannesburg-based manufacturer Liebermann Pottery . Each piece of crockery represents an individual pixel which together created the stunning image of an Ndzundza / Nzunza woman in profile . This awe-inspiring art installation extends some 5.5m wide , by 33m in height .
The challenges of bringing the Ndzundza / Nzunza Portrait to Johannesburg were many , requiring a very specific solution , which TAL was happy to develop and manufacture . The first issue was that the installation is on an exterior , west facing wall of the building , subject to direct sun in the afternoons , as well as rain and frost as the season ’ s change . Furthermore , the ‘ tiles ’ were pieces of crockery where the individual items were pre-assembled onto a mesh backing , effectively creating a giant mosaic mural .
Nzunza House was previously covered with mosaics which had been removed , so a TAL Keymix and TAL Keycoat primer slurry coat was applied to the entire façade to prepare the surface for the installation . This slurry coat provides a level of water resistance to the installation as well as providing a suitable surface for the adhesive system to bond onto .
Secondly , a highly flexible installation system was essential so that the installation could flex and move with the anticipated
thermal expansion and contraction , without fear of cracking or delamination of the crockery items . Equally important , movement joints which extend all the way to the substrate throughout the installation were specified and established at regular intervals .
As Johannesburg experiences hailstorms , the larger pieces of crockery within the artwork were treated with a poly-propylene coating to protect them from damage . To ensure a strong bond between these pieces and the tile adhesive and grouting system , a TAL Keymix and TAL Keycoat primer slurry was applied to the back of each individual piece before being assembled onto the mesh backing . Additionally , these were positively fixed to the surface through carefully drilling through the larger plates and bowls , anchoring them not only with the tile
adhesive but also with screws into the wall . When installing mosaics or items like this , the bonding and grouting is generally done in one application to ensure a good bond . Thus , any voids between the plates , cups and bowls within the installation were filled with the bespoke adhesive and grout from TAL , delivering a smooth finish . www . tal . co . za
SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC LAUNCHES KNX FOR SMARTER BUILDINGS
Schneider Electric South Africa has announced the launch of KNX , a smart system that elevates buildings to new heights in automation . “ The KNX system offers comfort , efficiency and safety in residential , small commercial and large and critical structures through its wiser convergence , IP connectivity and smooth integration into existing systems ,” explains James Calmeyer , Vice President Building , Southern Africa International Operations , Schneider Electric . “ We see its strengths in lighting & room control , HVAC control and safety & access control . Typical applications include smoke alarms , door entry systems , emergency lighting systems and SAE sensors . “ KNX is a bus system , manufactured to world standards , which brings building functions together and offers flexibility , safety , comfort and cost efficiency . In a conventional system , every function must be realised with one or more cables , must be planned in detail before installation and , if a function needs changing , the physical installation has to be changed . Each device is used for one function only and even lowlevel interaction between different functions become complex and cost intensive . “ However , with the bus system , there is a separation of information and energy , so only one cable ( the bus ) is used for all information , resulting in less control cables . The functions depend on programming ; therefore logical connections between inputs and outputs replace physical connections . Users can change functions without touching the installation , it enables multiple use of single devices and complex interactions between different functions are easy . www . se . com / za
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