ALUMINIUM
Seafront Splendour
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THE LARGEST SINGLE OFFICE development in the Channel Islands utilises multiple aluminium glazing systems from leading provider Reynaers.
Extending to over 200,000 sq ft, Jersey Esplanade contains large, open plan office spaces across six storeys which surround a central atrium and circulation core. Maximising the coastal location, this allows breath-taking panoramic views of St Aubins Bay and creates a striking new gateway to St Helier.
The BREEAM-rated building combines modulated stone cladding with expansive areas of Reynaers aluminium curtain walling and is occupied by blue-chip brands such as Royal Bank of Canada, Deloitte and C5 Alliance.
Architects at Axis Mason have created a modern, innovative co-working space that facilitates collaboration with its open layout. The project is otherwise known as Gaspé House, a name selected to mark cultural links between Jersey and Canada and remember the Jersey fishermen who settled in Gaspé, Quebec, many years ago.
Transforming the Jersey seafront with a touch of splendour, the Reynaers systems utilised include CW 86 and CW 50 curtain walling, as well as CS 68 and CS 77 aluminium windows and doors.
Dave Rees, Consult Project Manager at Reynaers, said:“ The conditions of the building location on this development proved a challenge. With seafront projects, timing is everything. Unitised facades therefore provided the perfect solution for Jersey Esplanade due to their speed of build and increased fabricator efficiency, with no compromise on performance or aesthetic quality”.
With high execution speed and available in two glazing variants, elements of curtain walling system CW 86 can be pre-assembled in the workshop to decrease time on the building site. Cassettes can then be hooked onto a traditional stick structure or the façade can be built up element by element according to the modular curtain wall principle.
Rebecca Cope, Marketing Manager at Reynaers, said:“ Reynaers prides itself on developing, where required, bespoke solutions to meet all glazing requirements. For Jersey Esplanade, efficient CW 86 unitised facades and CW 50 curtain walling gave the architects design freedom to accommodate large glazed areas, as well as meeting their time constraints.
“ The project also spectacularly showcases our CS 68 and CS 77 aluminium windows and doors, helping the build to achieve its BREEAM status with their excellent performance credentials and sustainability benefits.”
GLASS & SEALEDUNITS
TESTS CONFIRM HIGH RELIABILITY
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WITHIN THE SCOPE OF the‘ TPedge’ project, Bystronic glass has cooperated with scientists from the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems( Fraunhofer ISE) in Freiburg regarding the development of a process for the industrial production of innovative PV modules.
Numerous prototypes of the TPedge modules have now been subjected to comprehensive tests, which confirm the high reliability of the module concept.
The Fraunhofer ISE mounted 70 TPedge modules on the façade of a laboratory building and subsequently put these to successful use for over three years.
The modules were produced using Bystronic glass machines and systems.
TPedge modules are edge sealed, double glass PV modules that have a great similarity to insulating glass windows. The solar cells are fixed in gas-filled spaces using adhesive pins between the glass panes. TPedge eliminates the need for traditional encapsulation foils and the module frames so that both material costs and time consuming lamination processes are removed.
“ We have successfully taken the leap from a laboratory prototype to the standard industrial size( with 60 solar cells),” said Max Mittag, Project Manager at the Fraunhofer ISE and Tobias Neff, Solar Product Manager at Bystronic glass, explained that“ With the TPedge technology, the costs for the module production can be lowered considerably – with an envisaged cycle time of 45 seconds per module line.”
The Fraunhofer ISE was able to take automated production systems for TPedge modules into operation in its‘ Module Technology Center’ and use them to manufacture various prototypes in different setups. The industrial manufacturing processes have been developed further and optimized. The weight of the TPedge modules have been reduced by 30 percent by utilising 2 mm thin glass. The prototypes that were manufactured together with Bystronic glass were subjected to comprehensive module tests in accordance with IEC 61730 / 61215.
The results confirm the high resistance and the technical maturity of the module concept. Many different TPedge design setups were tested, using the conventional glass-foil-laminate and glass-glass-laminate modules as a reference. The resistance to hail and surface load were also tested.
76 » MAR 2017 » CLEARVIEW-UK. COM