GLASS & SEALEDUNITS
Salford Office Site Seals Partnering Skills
Dowsil sealants have been supplied by the Sherwin Williams Company to one of Dow ’ s leading Quality Bond customers , Architectural Engineering Ltd ( AEL ). The products helped to facilitate the delivery of a unitised glazing and cladding package for a commercial office project in one of Manchester ’ s key regeneration areas .
» 100 EMBANKMENT AT Greengate , Salford , is the second phase of a joint development on the site of the city ’ s historic Exchange Station ; forming part of a vibrant new business district . The project is being led by BAM Construction and specialist building envelope contractor Prater ; the latter renewing its partnership with unitised curtain wall specialist , AEL . The 11-storey steel-framed building has been designed by London based architectural practice , Flanagan Lawrence .
While the structure of the podium skyscraper shows elements of rainscreen cladding and glass reinforced concrete , AEL ’ s high performance curtain wall package encloses the four main elevations . A total of 1,164 panels – featuring a 350mm deep aluminium channel covering the floor zones – were installed , making a total area of 7,000m 2 . The façade ’ s assembly and installation included the use of Dowsil 993 Structural Glazing Sealant to bond the glazing elements , as well as Dowsil 791 Weatherproofing Sealant for all of the weather-sealing applications .
Additionally , all of the insulating glass units ( IGUs ) were assembled by sub-contractor , Interpane , using Dowsil 3363 Insulating Glass Sealant - specifically formulated in response to modern architectural designs featuring larger glass areas . This product is ideal on tall buildings where wind and other loads are generally higher . The two-part neutral curing , high modulus silicone sealant is twice as strong as conventional products while also facilitating faster unit assembly and greater durability .
Although AEL and the Sherwin Williams Company have a working relationship going back to the mid-2000s , the final specification of the Dowsil products for the Greengate 100 contract rested with Prater ; verified by the architects and main contractor . As part of the Quality Bond procedures , both AEL and Sherwin Williams conducted tests , before and during the contract period , including assessment of a trial rig comprising the structural glazed units and the aluminium feature panels . The largest glass panels used measured 1,646 by 3,296 mm while the ‘ bite size ’ for the structural glazing was 12 by 6 mm , with individual units weighing up to 300 kg . There was also the additional challenge of manufacturing and installing a variety of curved panels designed to different radii .
Agi Gerka , Manager of AEL ’ s Structural Bonding Division commented : “ Architectural Engineering Ltd is a leading supplier of bespoke unitised projects , partnering with blue chip clients such as Prater to provide state-of-the-art glazed façades for many of the major construction companies in the UK and Europe .
‘ our clients and end users are assured that we implement the quality control regime laid out in the standards , to achieve a perfect result ’
“ AEL strongly believes in partnering with our supply chain and the products and service provided by Sherwin Williams have been excellent . As a Dowsil Quality Bond Member for the past 12 years , our clients and end users are assured that we implement the quality control regime laid out in the standards , to achieve a perfect result .”
Dowsil 791 is a specially developed weather-proofing lowmodulus silicone sealant : available in clear as well a white , grey , black brown , bronze , stone , buff limestone and anthracite . It is suitable for un-primed application to glass , metal , masonry and other porous or non-porous substrates , which offers +/ - 50 % movement of the original joint width , making it ideal for expansion , perimeter and other joints .
For more information on Dowsil ’ s high performance construction solutions , please visit specification . sherwin-williams . co . uk /
CLEARVIEW-UK . COM » APR 2021 » 77