TRIPLE GLAZING & FUTURE HOMES
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Flagship project for sustainable refurbishment
The “ Cité Administrative ” administrative building , originally designed by the architects Jean Poskin and Henri Bonhomme in the 1960s , aimed at centralising the urban services of Liège in one place . The 18-storey tower has been a symbol of the city ’ s skyline ever since . Funded among others by the European Union and the province of Wallonia , the 67-metre-tall building was extensively refurbished and transformed into an urban flagship project in terms of sustainability .
The idea was to turn the iconic high-rise into a “ lowest energy building ” ( almost zero energy building ) in accordance with the EU ’ s Energy Performance of Buildings Directive . To this end , the city of Liège organised a competition for the project . The architectural firms Canevas and Baumans- Deffet as well as the construction company Groven + Portal SA - which put together a team of specialists for concrete , façades , specialised technology and interior fittings - ultimately emerged as the winner .
PLEASANT WORK AND COMPREHENSIVE SERVICE
Stéphane Marville , architect of Canevas , explains : “ Apart from the sustainability objectives , the project was mainly about optimising the use of space and creating an environment for workers and citizens that is fit for the future .” To this end , the office tower was refurbished from the ground up , while the existing plinth structure was demolished and replaced by a new , four-storey volume on the south side of the building . Inside , the “ Cité Administrative ” and the new annex now bring all of the city ’ s social and other services together in one place – from rooms for the social administration to areas for the administrative police and public safety , cafeteria and meeting rooms , to the classic citizens ’ services on the ground floor . Not to mention the large panoramic terrace on the 18th floor with a view of the city – a highlight in every way .
REFURBISHMENT MEASURES WITH CARBON NEUTRALITY IN MIND
Photovoltaic panels covering 1,600 square metres were installed on two façades to generate energy and the entire building envelope was upgraded and optimised in terms of energy efficiency . The planners also developed a holistic concept for the building ’ s automated ventilation , cooling , heating and lighting - which extends to the façade design . Stéphane Marville explains : “ We had to find the right balance between natural lighting and limiting overheating in summer . We therefore proposed projecting bonnets on the vertical façade and horizontal valances on the south façade . This made it possible to work with glazing with a relatively low solar factor on the north façade , allowing plenty of sunlight into the interior and achieving a high level of transparency . This in turn reduces the need for artificial lighting .”
ENERGY-EFFICIENT INSULATING GLAZING WITH WARM EDGE SPACER BARS
Curtain walling façades manufactured specifically for the project by Groven + Portal SA ( Herstal / Belgium ) are used on a total of 4,600 square meters on the southeast and north-east sides of the building . To meet the high requirements for thermal insulation and energy efficiency , the aluminium façade elements were realised with ULTRAONE NG double glazing and SprimoLight 70 / 37 solar protection glazing from Sprimoglass ( Sprimont / Belgium ).
Integrated into the glazing edge of all glazing units is the innovative warm edge spacer bar Swisspacer Ultimate . Camille Trachet , Sales Manager at Sprimoglass , explains : “ All Swisspacer spacer bars come with an Environmental Product Declaration ( EPD ) containing all the information needed for a sustainable building assessment . That was an important factor in awarding the order for this prestigious project .”
The spacer bars installed in the glazing edge increase the temperature at the glass edge by up to 2 ° C , which ensures much lower thermal conductivity and very good Psi values . The warm edge also avoids the formation of condensation and reduces the risk of mould .
www . swisspacer . com
54 MARCH 2024 CLEARVIEW-UK . COM