WICONA and Sapa: Joining forces

The magazine for WICONA partners
March 2014
impulse
WICONA and Sapa:
Joining forces
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Highlight in Ulm: The new
WICONA headquarters
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“The Squaire” in Frankfurt:
WICONA fire
protection solutions
CONTENT
04 06
10
03
Editorial
MAIN TOPIC
04
WICONA – the premium brand within the new SBS Group
IN BRIEF
05
WICONA scheme wins German Façade Award
19
New manuals for façades and windows
20
Architectural award for surgery department in Ulm
22
New testing facilities in Qatar
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PROJECTS IN FOCUS
06
Technology for ideas – live in Ulm
10
New city hall Reutlingen with striking architecture
TECHNOLOGY AND KNOWLEDGE
16
“The Squaire” – fire protection façade
20
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EDITORIAL
Markus Hofstetter
Head of communications WICONA
Dear reader,
With our new Sapa Building Systems (SBS) division, we will in future be a significantly
larger player in a broader international market. At the same time, we have moved into new
premises in the Einsteinstraße in Ulm, the most salient feature of which is surely our
WICONA logo near the front entrance. This proactive presentation of our brand is of great
symbolic significance, especially in connection with the establishment of SBS.
The message is: the WICONA brand continues to exist in full force and to operate
independently on the market side by side with the other SBS brands Technal,
Domal and Sapa. But WICONA clearly has the status – and obligation – of being the
premium brand within the SBS group.
For you as our customer there will be no immediate changes in the day-to-day business,
as you will still be a business partner of WICONA.
In the near future we will of course strive to generate benefits for you based on this new
situation. WICONA and Sapa are established brands and each of them already has its own
marketing positioning in various market segments. This produces new opportunities
for a targeted growth strategy. At the same time, it enables us to focus even more on the distinct
customer requirements with respect to service, product range and marketing organisation.
Synergies, for example in platform developments, allow us to combine purchase
volumes and pass the benefits of those higher volumes on to you as well. In our logistics,
combining trips and coordinating internal and external movements of goods will enable us to
reduce transit times and achieve faster lead times. We have also acquired additional
extrusion plants, exclusively dedicated to WICONA products (notably our plant in Bellenberg,
immediately next to our Test Centre and Training Centre). These have been integrated
into our construction systems organisation, which means faster and more efficient deliveries to
you in the future. All the benefits that we will achieve in procurement, product range,
storage and logistics will continue to serve our objective of being the fastest and most flexible
provider. More background and details about the new SBS division can be found in
this issue of impulse. And of course you will be warmly welcomed at our new company
home in the Einsteinstraße in Ulm.
Editor:
WICONA, Ulm
Responsible:
I hope you enjoy reading this latest issue of “WICONA impulse”.
Markus Hofstetter
Editing:
Ayten Yilmaz
Markus Hofstetter
Text:
Press Office Egen-Gödde, Kaufering,
Partner of NETmark5
Design:
NETmark5, Landsberg am Lech
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MAIN TOPIC
With its multiple brand strategy, Sapa Building
Systems (SBS) is aiming to provide customer-oriented solutions
within established and new markets.
Same brand presentation:
The Technal Stand on the Batimat
2013 in Paris.
Also in the future, Sapa will
present its brand independently
on the market like on the
Batimat in November 2013.
WICONA is the premium brand
within the new SBS Group
T
he new Sapa AS Group, with its headquarters
in Oslo, came into being on 1 September 2013
through a joint ventur e between the companies
Orkla (Sapa) and Hydr o (WICONA). W ith operations in
140 countries, Sapa AS is the world’ s largest pr ovider
of extruded aluminium pr oducts with a total tur nover
of around EUR 5.3 billion and some 23,000 employees. Sapa Building Systems (SBS) represents an important business segment within Sapa AS. This gr oup
encompasses four brands each with its own company
headquarters: WICONA (Ulm), Sapa Building System
(Landen), Technal (Toulouse) and Domal (Milan).
In October 2012, Orkla and Hydr o took the decision to
concentrate their hitherto separate activities in the field
of profiles, construction systems and precision tubing in
a joint venture (Sapa AS), of which each company owns
a 50 per cent shareholding. The new integrated SBS
Group operates within the inter national markets via the
abovementioned brands, as WICONA, Sapa, T echnal
and Domal are already positioned within various market
segments, each with its own distribution organisations.
Brands remain the centre of activity
The new configuration provides new opportunities for
a targeted gr owth strategy. A clear dif ferentiation of
the product offering within each customer segment
makes it possible for us to orientate ourselves more specifically on the different customer requirements in terms
of service, product programme as well as our distribution
organisation. From the customer perspective, the SBS
portfolio resembles that of car manufacturers, which offer a tiered product range spanning the premier product
to the high volume make and down to the basic product
offering, each of which is marketed as a separate brand.
Applied to SBS, WICONA clearly represents the premier
brand. In addition to WICONA, Sapa’ s product palette
will also be available throughout all the markets. Sales
and marketing will be carried out via the established distribution organisation, which will be expanded.
Technical expertise in the foreground
The additional benefit of the SBS Gr oup both for the
initiators and customers is the fact that other brands
within the SBS Group will now have better opportunities
to penetrate markets in which one of the other gr oup
brands is alr eady well established, whereby WICONA’s
fundamental approach in all countries will be to work exclusively with its own structur es and experts at all SBS
locations.
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In brief
The refurbishment work carried out by
Berlin-based Staab Architekten on a high-rise
building at Darmstadt University of
Applied Sciences has been awarded the
German Façade Prize 2013 for curtain
walling. WICONA provided the aluminium
façade systems for the project using
glazing solutions based on the WICLINE
window and WICTEC curtain walling ranges.
WICONA Scheme wins
German Façade Award
T
he award was pr esented at an event at the
German Museum of Ar chitecture in Frank furt. More than 100 entries for curtain wal
ling were submitted to the Association for Materi
als and Components – the organisation that has
been awarding the prize for the past 10 years.
Commenting on the WIOCNA pr
oject, the awar d
judges said, “This high-rise building is an excellent
example of the use of this type of curtain walling.
It takes the concept of post-war moder nism a stage
further and has given the building a distinctive ‘steellike strength’. The WICONA solution has successfully
combined the aesthetic challenges and functional
requirements in exemplary fashion, and impr essed us
all.” Built in 1963, the 60 m high building was stripped
back to its original structur e during the r efurbishment.
The windows were replaced and the outer walls fitted with WICONA curtain walling. The majority of the
north elevation was glazed, and the south façade was
fitted with striking solar shading to pr event the interior
from overheating. The overlapping 3-D aluminium fa çade elements are fixed and require no maintenance.
A WICONA unitised window solution was developed
for the project, based on the WICLINE 75 evo suite.
WICTEC 50 ‘stick’ curtain walling range also featured on
the project with integrated pressure plates.
The refurbishment was designed by ar
chitects,
Staab Architekten, whose work has previously been
recognised at the German Ar chitecture Prize awar ds,
and Heinrich W ürfel Metallbau GmbH & Co. Betriebs
KG completed the façade fabrication and installati
on. The 16-stor ey building pr ovides accommodation
Striking outfit:
The Darmstadt University
was fitted with
WICONA façade and
window elements.
for a number of faculties at the university, including
mathematics and natural science, electr o and infor mation technology, machine construction and plastics
technology. The students’ union, student service cen tre, executive committee and the university’s central administrative department are also located in the building.
Further information: www.wicona.com
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PROJECTS IN FOCUS
Technology for ideas
When investors and users of a new building
collaborate during the planning stage,
most of their desires and ideas about
materials and design can be implemented in
an optimum manner. This is even truer
if the partnership has already proved successful in the past, as with WICONA, the premium
brand for aluminium profiles within the
Sapa Building System (SBS), and Plaza
Estates GmbH & Co. KG at the Einsteinstraße
61 new-build, these two Ulm-based
companies have really brought WICONA’s
slogan “technology for ideas” vividly to life.
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T
he third member in this partnership was the ar chitect firm, mühlich, fink & partners, who won the
investors’ design competition. A WICONA team
made up of experts in façade construction, construction physics, sustainability planning and project services
supported the architects.
– live in Ulm
Simple and precise
The most eye-catching feature of this striking four-storey
building is the high-contrast WICONA logo, which glows
red at the eye level of pedestrians and drivers passing
by. Architect Günter Perl described the basic concept for
the new build with its characteristic entrance ar ea in the
following way: “This unpr etentious building responds to
the existing, truely heterogeneous surroundings with an
independent inner centre; a centre that signals a welcome
and a feeling of security within this otherwise non-exemplary
urban district. The large two-storey-high entrance punches through the smooth anthracite-colour ed cube of
aluminium sheeting with its cir cumferential strip structured façade and highlights the entry point, ther eby creating a suitable lobby area, where the out-sized company
logo defines the spatial boundary. The details adhere to
the conceptual guidelines: simple and precise.”
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PROJECTS IN FOCUS
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Striving for the highest-level of energy efficiency
Thermal insulation at the entrance and in the atrium
“As a provider of aluminium systems we want to show
our customers and guests, in a natural way within our
own building, how our products can be used effectively”,
explained Arnd Brinkmann, Managing Director of SBS
for the DACH Region and r esponsible for the WICONA
brand, “but of course everything needed to be harmoniously integrated within the architects’ concept.
That’s why our own personnel pr
ovided intensive
support throughout the planning and implementation phases.” The dominant featur es of the new-build’ s
façade are the window strips made of elements from the
WICLINE 75 evo series, augmented by decorative
elements of smooth sheet metal. High-energy efficiency values are among the most important characteristics
of this range, which ar e achieved by a symmetrically
constructed thermally insulated multi-chamber system.
WICLINE 75 evo was the first metal window in Switzerland to achieve Minergie-P-Module certification.
By optimising the format of the panes (square rather than
rectangular) it pr oved possible to minimise the length
of the edge bond in WICONA’s new premises in Ulm,
which resulted in a superb Uw value of 0.86 W/(m²K).
The concept of energy efficiency was also implemented
systematically in the entrance area: visitors enter through
a thermally insulated automatic sliding door fr om the
WICSTYLE 65ED series. During daily operations, most
of the heat is retained within the connecting foyer due to
optimised opening and closing cycles. At night, the door
is permanently closed and pr events the building fr om
losing too much energy and, with a U d value of less than
1.5 W/(m²K), makes a significant contribution towar ds
improving the new-build’s overall energy balance.
One architectural highlight of the WICONA headquarters
is the atrium, accessible directly from the entrance, which
derives its attractiveness fr om the tension between the
external and the inter nal and its height, which spans all
floors allowing light to flood the building.
The atrium façade is constructed
from the highly
thermally insulated WICTEC 50HI series, whilst the r oof
of the central courtyard is formed by a WICTEC 50 sloped
structure. WICTEC 50HI was the first aluminium glass
façade to achieve passive house certification from the
ift Rosenheim and was implemented within the WICONA
new build at very little additional cost with the WICTEC 50
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The WICONA new build in figures
Investor:
Investment volume:
Architects:
Usable floor space:
standard series. Using a thermally insulated profile made
of elastomer foam, it was possible to achieve a U f value
of 0.74 W/(m²K).
Enclosed area:
Metal construction:
Supporting structure:
Technical building services:
Offices:
Employees:
Plaza Estates GmbH & Co. KG, Ulm
EUR 10 million
mühlich, fink & partner, Ulm
4,465 m² + 1,695 m² car parking
space
34,220 m³
Dodel Metallbau GmbH, Ulm
IB. Heller, Ulm
INUTEC GmbH, Ulm
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(currently on site) 200
Products and systems you can touch
T30 fire doors from the WICSTYLE 77FP series are used
in the stairwells. They ar e certified in accor dance with
the DIN 4102 and/or DIN EN 13501-2 standards. In this
case, the variant without the fire belt was used. It is also
possible to use the fire prevention class EI60 / T60 with
this system, in which case additional fire belts are integrated within the structure.
demands. One thing that was expressly not desired was
a patchwork of the company’s product range.”
Instead the focus was on such factors as energy performance and functional flexibility in combination with the
highest achievable cost effectiveness.
The company, fabricators, contractors, ar chitects and
investors are presenting the details of the WICONA systems used within the new build as well as the r est of
the product portfolio in a showroom on the ground floor,
in which one can see elements used in their r espective
functions and speak to consultants. The entir e building
serves as a living showr oom which, however, was not
WICONA’s dogmatic intention. Ar chitect Günter Perl
stated: “The components used thr oughout the building
were intended to meet the formal and functional design
With reference to the new company headquarters,
Managing Director Arnd Brinkmann commented:
“Here, we can pr esent the WICONA brand with pride. With this new building, we have met our demand
for the highest quality and innovative design. What has
been created is a futuristic building for futur e-oriented
product developments in conjunction with a friendly ambience and a positive aura, executed in an energy-saving
construction style, which stands for WICONA ’s corporate policy of sustainability.”
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PROJECTS IN FOCUS
High quality – not flamboyance
The city hall Reutlingen is placed in the middle
of a new built public park.
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With its striking but unobtrusive architecture as well as a clearly delineated
façade construction, the new city hall provides Reutlingen’s town
centre with a new focal point, but without totally dominating its surroundings.
I
t is unlikely that any city and its citizens have spent such
a long time discussing the whys and wher efores of a
building project meant to fulfil important ar chitectural,
social and functional r equirements. As the Lor d Mayor,
Barbara Bosch wrote in 2008, “Reutlingen has been discussing a new city hall for 60 years. It’ s now time to make
it happen.” That was in the pr eface to a brochure in which
the new central edifice was pr esented to the citizens of
Reutlingen following the decision to go with a design
submitted by the Berlin-based architect Max Dudler during
a design tender process.
“This design r epresents a successful combination of
modesty and noblesse” as stated in the justification report
of the awarding panel, which was chaired by Professor
Arno Lederer. The report goes on to say that: “The building
captivates through its rigorous clarity and austerity.
The city’s expectations of conveying an outstanding
architectural signal by constructing a new city hall as a
cultural centre have been met in an inter esting manner.
The transparent structure, which also promises an interesting night-time spectacle, rises above the tree tops, making
the city hall visible for miles ar ound without appearing too
block-like.”
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PROJECTS IN FOCUS
> > > Andreas Enge who, as Pr oject Manager for Dudler
Architects, was in charge of planning the complex,
explains this interplay in the following way: “The building
volume reacts with a plinth element, which relates to the
future tree-top level, and the glass element it supports,
which symbolises the classic temple motive, ther eby
expressing the building’s cultural function.”
Looking at the building as a whole the Berlin-based ar chitects also speak of “monumentality inherent within the
building core”. This per ception is the r eason for using
aluminium, a modern, lightweight material, as the dominant building material for the façade structure, specifically in order to produce a contrast.
The company selected to produce and install the façade
was Heinrich Würfel Metallbau GmbH & Co. Betriebs KG
(HW, Sontra), an experienced firm of experts specialising
in unitised-based façade construction with a list of r eference sites that includes a large number of pr ojects of
a similar size and complexity. HW suggested creating a
warm façade in the form of a “continuous membrane”,
which eliminates the structural problems before they ari-
The vertical structure of the WICONA façade
units create interesting lighting effects
in the interior of the building (below right).
12
se due to the for ced isothermal flow. This configuration
has other advantages: the functional building shell (primary façade) is constructed as a continuous skin – the
isotherms also run in a straight line, thermal bridges in
the areas surrounding fixings are minimised (because fewer fixings are required), and it is possible to carry out a
high degree of pre-fabrication in the factory, which reduces installation time on site.
In addition, the monument-like pilaster strips (secondary construction) wer e to have been implemented as
extruded box pr ofiles (special development); this was
intended to produce the required sharp-edged look and
to solve the issue of structurally analysing cut or scor ed
folded metal sheets, which is virtually impossible to do.
Thus the façade (primary construction) was constructed as a pur e unitised façade using newly developed
special profiles, in or der to facilitate the ar chitectural
aspirations. According to Christian Müller each joint
of the multi-component façade units was positioned
in the support ar ea (former cold ar ea) and fitted with
T E C H N I K
a panel filling. The pilaster-strip profiles placed in fr ont
of them were mounted using the invisible clasp const ruction method, thereby covering the panel ar ea of the
window façades. In addition, the façade is fitted with a
drainage system, which captur es any precipitation and
drains it downward in an invisible but controlled manner.
In discussing the benefits of the chosen façade construction method Andr eas Enge stated: “The technical
realisation of the building shell as a smooth continuous
membrane façade guarantees the highest levels of water
tightness and the best thermal insulation characteristics.
By way of future-proofing, the glazing and insulation layer thicknesses were designed to be 20 % more effective
than required by the applicable legislation.”
This kind of configuration is often only possible when
the partners involved alr eady know each other well.
Würfel has been working with Hydr o Building Systems
(WICONA) for many years as their system supplier for
aluminium profiles. The basic profile system for the construction in Reutlingen was the WICLINE 75 series in
the form of a universally modified special construction
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with an excellent U w value of 0.83 W/(m²K). These wer e
calculated based on measurements made at WICONA’s
in-house test centre in Bellenberg. Another major advantage of this pr ofile system is r evealed once it has been
completed: the dif ference between façade units with
sash windows and those with fixed glazing is not visible
from the outside, so there is nothing to detract from the
harmonious overall look of the façade at any point. Max
Dudler opted for an architectural bronze hue “because it
not only harmonises well with the brickwork of the neighbouring historical hospital, but also with the colours of
the rooftops in the city’s historic quarter”. Using pilaster
strips within the façade construction cr eates a special
optical effect. Klaus Kessler, who headed up the City Hall
Project Group, describes the shadow ef fects of the ar chitectural bronze coloured upstream pilasters as a characteristic feature: “It brings the façade to life”, he said.
The austere vertical arrangement of the building’s façade
does not contradict this aspect. W ith its full-height windows it is reminiscent of a line of columns in front of the
entrance to an ancient temple – an impression one also
gets when looking out from inside the building.
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PROJECTS IN FOCUS
> > > According to Dudler Ar chitects, the metal façade was
tendered for on the basis of the model façade. This was
treated with a powder coating that is baked on and produces the desired matt, metallic character of the façade
by way of the r equired surface roughness. Max Dudler
was extremely interested in the surface characteristics of
the façade elements.
façade of the Reutlingen City Hall. During his regular site
visits to Reutlingen, Mr Dudler was present for the start
of the façade installation and, together with Klaus Kess ler (Head of the City Hall Project Group), supervised the
fixing of the glazed aluminium frames to the steel subst ructure. In an interview with the Reutlinger Generalanzeiger, the Swiss architect explained why the façade is so
important overall: “My design for the City Hall involves
This is why an innovative path was chosen in this context: a large building with very few design featur es, which is
together with its own company MBG Metallbeschich - why every detail needs to be exactly right.” The same aspiration applied to logistics. The façade units, including
tung Gerstungen GmbH and their powder suppliers,
HW developed a special powder for the coating in the glazing, were completely pre-assembled at HW’s Sontra
factory. In this case, both the client and HW, as the comform of a finely structured paint. Following a two-layer
powder coating process, this resulted in a “cloudy sur - pany responsible for carrying out the work, benefited from
face texture” with corresponding metal components, this factory assembly pr ocess, which is deemed mor e
reliable and consistent than on-site assembly. Neverthewhich gave the façade a look of natural elegance.
less, there were still plenty of challenges to over come.
The last of the crystalline layers was applied by hand,
lending the surface of the aluminium components a look Christian Müller explained that: “Due to the excessive
of depth that appeared cloudy rather than flat, as Max size of the elements, we had to employ a specialised low
Dudler explained to the regional press. This special pro- loader to transport them to the construction site.
cess, he added, was used for the first time ever with the There, they were hoisted into the pre-built support struc-
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T E C H N I K
ture using a telescopic crane lift with a r otating turret.”
In the two-storey areas, the dimensions of the elements
were up to c. 2,700 mm x 6,700 mm (w x h) and weighed around 1.2 tonnes each.
The solar pr otection devices and the attached pilasters were then r etrofitted on site. The solar pr otection
devices represented far mor e than just one functional element. Ar chitect Andreas Enge explained that:
“Rail-mounted and therefore wind-proof solar protection awnings wer e installed in the plinth structur e.
But one r eally unique design featur e of the City Hall is
the vertically sliding solar pr otection curtains made of
expanded metal wire mesh in the top part of the structure. They serve as exter nally mounted transpar ent
solar protection and reflect the structure’s function as a
theatre building. They ar e unique and have never been
realised in this form anywhere else.”
The development of this oversized, motor -driven device
in the upper structur e presented HW with a particular
challenge: “It was difficult to coor dinate the activities
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of the suppliers of the oversized sheet metal (as a raw
material), with those of the supplier of the motor drive
units, the electrical contractor (for the safety-r
elated
control elements), the mechanism itself and also the
structural engineer,” Christian Müller recalled.
In his capacity as Project Manager with the Berlin-based
architectural firm, Andreas Enge is fulsome in his praise
of the façade construction team: “Due to their outstanding technical and engineering skills and pr oductivity,
Würfel produced precisely the kind of façade that we
had imagined. Christian Müller added that: “This can
only work with an experienced team based on partner ships with suppliers and system providers; together with
us – sometimes after lengthy meetings here in Sontra
– they worked out and developed solutions capable of
being implemented. The same goes for the frankness
and readiness of the clients, the planners and primary
contractor to embrace these subjects and accept the
solutions we developed. A building of this kind can only be
constructed through a collaborative effort.”
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Bei Tag und Nacht
ein optisches Highlight:
Die spannungsreich
gestaltete Fassade des
Congress Centrums
Heidenheim.
Funktional und praktisch:
das Erscheinungsbild des
angegeliederten Hotels (links).
Architect Max Dudler (r.)
and Klaus Kessler, Project
leader of the city Reutlingen.
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TECHNOLOGY AND KNOWLEDGE
The Squaire, Europe’s “biggest recumbent skyscraper”, is mounted on 86 supports above the roof surface of the
ICE train station at Frankfurt airport. It houses a range of office and administration units as well as two hotels. Its exterior
is dominated by structural elements of steel and aluminium as well as the expansive circumferential glass surfaces
of the window strips. A 25-meter-high glass-roofed atrium functions as a unifying element that extends across the top
seven floors of the building. The vaulted part of the train station roof is retained within the central internal space.
Fire-resistant façade in multifunctional complex
T
he architects had planned to install an inclined
façade in glass and aluminium that would connect directly to this ar ched roof. It is in dir ect line
of sight looking fr om one of the atria and fulfils fire-protection requirements. The installation company , Metallbau Lehr GmbH fr om Mainz-Hechtsheim, used system
solutions from WICONA in order to turn the architect’s
vision into reality. They constructed grid curtain walling
with integrated natural smoke and heat exhaust ventilators, a one-of f construction built using the WICTEC
50FP curtain walling system. Some parts were constructed as a fire-resistant façade. A special technical feature is the transition between the inclined façade and the
existing arched roof of the international train station. The
most important components of the fire prevention construction featuring WICONA elements ar e the overhead
glazing, the internal corners in the northern and southern
zones of atria A, B, C and D, each of which has two to
four main fields on several levels and a façade zone in
the car park of the complex spread over two levels.
The implementation of the WICTEC FP fire-resistant
curtain walling is based on the tried and trusted standard
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system, WICTEC 50. This construction is fundamentally
suited for use as a façade as well as for overhead glazing
(fire protection up to an incline of 0°, with driving rain
protection up to an incline of 10°), of the type installed in
the Squaire complex. The transparent appearance of the
stilt-mounted “floating” multifunctional building is retained due to the WICTEC façade’s slimline profile.
The fact that the WICSTYLE 77FP fire door and the
WICLINE 75FP fire-resistant window can be integrated without any pr oblems is a featur e of the system. Its construction is based 100 % on the standar d
WICLINE 75 window and looks exactly the same. The
self-closing opening fire-resistant glazing can be pr ovided as a punched window , a framed window or – as
it is in the Squaire complex – integrated within the
WICTEC 50FP grid fire-resistant curtain walling.
Overhead glazing
The F30 fire-resistant glazing was installed in the
form of overhead glazing with an incline of 75°, which
transitions to an F0 overhead glazing system as of level 7.
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“The Squaire”
In the lower transit zone, the fire-protection barrier is
achieved via an F90 fire safety curtain. On the sides,
the area between the fire-resistant façade and the
building core is sealed of f using fire-resistant glazing
with a T30-2 door on each floor up to level 7. In general,
the overhead glazing was fixed to an F90 steel construction and has been installed up to a height of 14 m with
no fire-retardant intermediate ceiling.
The maximum distance between rafter fixing points or
mullions is 4,300 mm. Panels are used for the transition
areas at the top and sides. All components used to fix
the façade to the steel substructure have an F90 coating.
Atrium internal corners
In this context, the F30 fire-resistant façade was used
across the entir e façade elevation and in combination
with a W90 fire-prevention bulkhead in the panel and
floor slab areas.
However, in line with the Z-14.19-1448 certification, the
fire-resistant façade was installed acr oss all levels and
was glazed using fire-resistant, fall-proof glass. An additional pendulum impact test was conducted on site for
The implementation of the WICTEC FP
fire-resistant curtain walling in
“The Squaire” is based on the tried and
trusted standard system, WICTEC 50.
fall proofing. In the bulkhead areas, the F30 fire-resistant
is replaced with the W90 flame-resistant bulkhead. This
is included in the WICTEC FP curtain walling system as
an optional add-on and is used to pr event fire-spread
in standard façades. It was also installed within the
parking area of the Squaire building (see below).
The internal corners in the other B and C atria ar e constructed in the same way and only dif fer in the number
of element fields. In the corner area of Atrium D, the fireresistant façade was attached to a covered steel pipe at
the top and bottom; in the lower field, the pipe had to be
implemented for the sprinkler system.
>>>
17
TECHNOLOGY AND KNOWLEDGE
> > > Car park
In the car park area, the F30 fire-resistant façade was used
across the entire façade surface and was combined with
a W90 fire-resistant bulkhead in the panel and floor slab areas.
The doors wer e constructed using WICSTYLE 77FP
(Z-19.14-2015), which has building authority appr oval.
WICSTYLE 77FP has been certified in accordance with
the DIN 4102 and/or DIN EN 13501-2 standards. In this
case, the fire prevention class EI30 / T30 / F30 variant,
without fire belt, was used. It is also possible to use the
fire prevention class EI60 / T60 with this system, in which
case additional fire belts are integrated within the structure. In addition to modular construction, this fire door is
characterised by its easy handling and the high number
of opening variants and auxiliary components, such as
side plates, roof lights and fixed glazing. In addition, the
visually perfect integration within the WICTEC façade is
evident in the car park area of the Squaire complex.
However, in line with the Z-14.19-1448 certification, the
fire-resistant façade was installed acr oss all levels and
was glazed using special fire-resistant (and partially),
fall-proof glass. An additional pendulum impact test was
conducted on site for fall pr oofing. In the bulkhead areas, the F30 fire-resistant panel (min. 20 mm PromatectH with aluminium sheeting on both sides) is r eplaced
with the W90 flame-resistant bulkhead.
Fireproofing is one of the most sensitive technical fea tures of moder n building design. The highest level of
functionality is a must, wher eas an individual look to
match the overall appearance is a matter of choice.
To this end, WICONA pr ovides a compr ehensive product programme ranging fr om single and double-leaf
WICSTYLE fire doors to WICLINE fire-resistant windows
in various applications to WICTEC curtain walling, which
provide comprehensive cover for all areas relevant to fire
prevention. These components are fully compatible with
the standard WICONA profile system and are certified in
accordance with the r elevant standards and approved
by the construction authorities.
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18
IN BRIEF
Even in the computer age, printed information has still retained its value, as the
new WICONA design manuals for façades
and windows amply demonstrate.
They were produced on the basis
of suggestions from the market and are
intended for practical everyday use by
architects and metal construction workers.
New design manuals for façades and windows
T
he planning handbooks are a product catalogue,
system overview, reference work and a sour ce
of detailed information in one volume”, explained
WICONA’s Head of Marketing Markus Hofstetter . “First
and foremost, they can be used for selecting, planning
and determining solutions and constructions; but they
also provide guidance for metal construction workers
who visit their architect or investor and plan in detail systems, constructions or individual components for a construction project”, he added.
The content-related layout of the two handbooks on
façades and windows available hitherto follows the
logical method applied to designing and is compiled in
the same way, thereby making it easy to use and facilitating the switch between the two sectors. Chapters
presenting the various façade and window systems ar e
illustrated with numerous examples of constructions
and follow a brief overview of all WICONA systems. The
relevant technical data sheets ar e the next key aspect
in both volumes. Her e, at a glance, you can find brief
descriptions, cross-sectional images, technical perfor mance features and system tests as well as details on
the CE marking in compact form for each individual product on a single page.
Safety, insulation, soundproofing, fire protection
Together, both design manuals contain (in the application part) chapters on insulation, safety , soundproofing
and fire protection. A short intr oduction for each chapter is followed by an overview of the series’ appr ovals
(in accordance with national building r egulations), then
full-page cross-sections of individual applications ar e
provided with an explanation about the specific construction. All drawings also have the relevant item numbers, so the next steps can be done electronically via the
WICTOP design and calculation software.
Application examples and proposals for
connections to the structure provide inspiration
The planning handbook for façades contains additional
chapters on insertion opening sashes and shading. In
the volume on windows, a supplement about fittings for
the entire range of opening types has been included.
Extensive chapters with illustrated application examples,
full-page construction patterns with examples of how to
use them and structural attachment drawings ar e sources of inspiration and provide the user with detailed and
useful procurement information. Pr ofile overviews for
both sectors then complete the planning handbooks.
“Comprehensive practical know-how , which has been
compiled in a way that is concise, clear and easy to find,
has received positive feedback fr om architects and our
customers in the metal construction industry”, said Markus Hofstetter. These volumes, both as a printed version and in PDF format, ar e available from your WICONA
sales representative.
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19
In brief
Surgery department
in Ulm receives
architectural award
20
T E C H N I K
F Ü R
I D E E N
impulse
Impressive pictures night and day:
the new surgery in Ulm with façade
and window systems of WICONA.
The surgery department of the University
Hospital in Ulm, South Germany,
was the first building to receive the new
German architectural award for buildings in
the hospital and health sector.
The German Architects Association
“Bund Deutscher Architekten” appreciates
its outstanding and modern design,
which is strongly supported by the
WICONA curtain wall and window solutions.
T
he structure was designed by Munich based ar chitects KSP Engel and Zimmermann. An inde pendent jury decided for the Ulm hospital and
attributes the award in equal party to the ar chitects and
developers. The surgery with 15 operating r ooms, 235
beds for normal car e and 80 beds for intensive car e is
added to a core building consisting of 2 to 3 floors integrating all functional sectors and a “levitating” wing with
patient’s rooms.
Two local companies wer e key to the implementation:
WICONA as a supplier of aluminium profile systems and
Dodel Metallbau as the fabricator of all metal work. The
systems implemented were the WICTEC curtain wall and
the WICLINE windows. Four warm colour tones – yellow,
orange, red and brown – give distinction to the appea rance and are reproduced in the entir e complex, assuring a warm and bright ambiance.
Opening sashes in varying colours intr oduce a special
colour and light play into each patient's room, making it
an exemplary building in the hospital and health sector,
as the jury of the award stated in their description. This
and the special quality of the design, the functionality
and the detailed execution were the base for the decision for the Ulm surgery.
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21
IN BRIEF
WICONA has commissioned a laboratory
for testing façades and windows
in Qatar. The target is to generate data on
energy efficiency and production
from laboratory containers serving as
outdoor test labs for window and façade
structures under extreme climatic
conditions. The results will enable
conclusions to be drawn as to product
and market developments
in similar countries and regions.
New testing facilities
Q
atar is striving, just like its neighbouring countries
in the Near and Middle East, to develop Zer oEnergy Building solutions, in spite of its abundance of natural resources”, says Armin Bäumler, project
manager at WICONA. “These r esults help us in developing tailored systems for different markets, and even, in
specific cases, adapt them to other countries.”
WICONA operates similar laboratories in Bellenberg,
Germany and Toulouse, France. The data fr om Qatar
reflect climatic conditions entirely different from those
in northern Europe, meaning the company’ s research
ambit has been broadened significantly. The sun’s highpoints for both Toulouse and Bellenberg ar e exceeding
in Qatar by 174 days and 183 days of the year, respectively. Summer temperatures above 50 °C are not unusual in the Gulf, and rarely fall under 15 °C in winter.
22
Four different façade structur es may be tested at the
same time using the outdoor test lab. All four measuring
rooms are of the same dimensions and housed within
a thermally active cover. Only the south-facing surface,
where the test samples ar e assembled, makes immediate contact with the environment. The test labs are ventilated using a chilled water unit and a decentralised fan
coil unit on the ceiling fed by electric post heating units.
All testing areas are equipped with the necessary input/
output sensors. Calorimetric measur ements were done
on four types of building envelopes at a r oom temperature of 20 °C:
Test room 1:
Reference is a Structural-Sealant-Glazing-Façade (SSG)
with insulating double glazing (Ucw = 1,4; g-value = 0.16).
A motorized external venetian blind can be activated in
addition.
T E C H N I K
installed in Qata
Test room 2:
SSG façade identical to the r eference façade, fitted
with a fixed external Brise-Soleil made up of aluminium
blades (Ucw = 1,4; g-value = 0.16).
Test room 3:
High insulation stick façade with triple glazing and
motorized venetian blind in the glazing interspace
(Ucw = 0,9; g-value = 0.15).
Test room 4:
Box-type window with tur n/tilt sash inside and parallel outward sash outside with a venetian blind fitted in
between (Ucw = 1,2; g-value = 0.15).
impulse
the Middle East”, says Armin Bäumler, “and the need to
identify any hurdles to be overcome, including the impact
on the systems themselves. For example, it is important
to reduce the cooling energy demand in local buildings
by using passive systems such as window ventilation.”
The first results will be available this year and should provide valuable input in terms of developing new products
at WICONA, enabling customers in Europe to benefit
from these new findings.
RESULTS
The results can be summarized into the following:
-
The inaugural event of the
research facilities in March 2013:
Hilde Merete Aasheim
(Executive Vice President Norsk
Hydro, in the middle of the picture),
Dr. Alex Amato (Director Qatar
Green Building Council, l.),
Tom Petter Johansen (CEO Qatalum,
9. f. l.), Khalid Mohammed Laram
(Deputy CEO Qatalum, 11. f. l.)
and Armin Bäumler (WICONA, r.).
I D E E N
The outdoor test lab.
“Our most pressing concern when conducting research
is whether, and to what degr ee, European thermal
window and façade systems ar e also appr opriate for
F Ü R
-
An external venetian blind offers potential savings
of approximately 38 %.
A fixed brise-soleil (blades) reduces the cooling
energy requirements by approximately 22 %.
Replacing a standard stick façade with double
insulating glass by a high insulation façade with
triple glazing the cooling energy consumption can
be reduced by 40 %.
A glazing integrated sun shading system combined
with the high insulating stick façade, cooling energy
consumption can be reduce by more than 57 %.
A double skin box-type window solution cuts the
energy consumption for cooling by 16 %, with sun
protection in the interspace by 40 %.
Nowadays, global design parameters for windows and
façades in Middle Easter n Countries show little insulation values. On the basis of a compr ehensive range of
measurements, the results show a clear pictur e: “Windows and façades with high insulated frames are energy
efficient in warm climates despite the fact that it is warm
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all year round.”
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