The newly built “Espace Culturel Aimé Césaire” in Gennevilliers, France and the center integrating shopping, culture and restaurants “Bálna” in Budapest rely on the versatility of SCHOTT’s fire resistant glass.
“Several acclaimed building projects in Europe recently installed fire resistant glazing based on our PYRAN® S specialty glass. Thanks to the high quality of our material, architects and planners can use it in a variety of ways without having to compromise on functionality or aesthetics“, says Helmut Kugelmann, Head of Sales at SCHOTT in Jena. SCHOTT, an expert for fire resistant glass with more than 20 years of experience, continues to improve its products. Just recently, SCHOTT introduced its PYRAN® S specialty glass to the market in XXL format (1800 mm x 3600 mm) in the class E 30. It is considered to be the largest sheet format in its class in Germany.
“Our product ISO PYRAN® S can be used wherever requirements are needed in addition to protection from fire. It is ideal for facades and roof glazing due to its stability upon exposure to UV-radiation, fluctuations in temperature and direct sunlight,” Kugelmann explains. Transparent fire-rated partitions provide protection in case of fire while at the same time allowing day light to flow freely from room to room. Smoke screen systems that use
PYRAN® S do not need frame constructions at all. This is the result of a perfect symbiosis of glass panes connected to each other by joints that are barely noticeable and point mounts and brackets that secure the glass panes to a strong, but light, supporting structure.
Maximum transparency and reliable fire resistance inside the building
The newly built cultural center “Espace Culturel Aimé Césaire” in Gennevilliers, just north of Paris, is open to all – as a communication center and meeting point, but also as a host to cultural events. The building’s façade is striking in its design with an irregular pattern of windows which seem to have been torn open, similar to a lantern. At night, the illumination from within the building radiates outward commanding attention despite the closed façade. The spatial organization of the building is clearly visible from the foyer of the ground floor and can be experienced directly as one stands in the interior of the “lantern” looking out onto the expanse of the light-flooded room which extends from the ground floor to the roof of the building.
The rooms grouped around the light-flooded interior are closed off from the roof-high foyer by E30 fire resistant glazing. The specialty glass used for the design is PYRAN® S from SCHOTT. The 1300 mm wide x 3000 mm high glass panes are fitted together in a frameless butt joint construction. These extend one floor up with no vertical mullion profiles to obstruct the view. The floated, thermally-toughened borosilicate glass is tested and approved for application in fire resistant glazing in a variety of countries in accordance with national and European standards, and could be used in this building without any further tests.
Glass roof construction combines special aesthetics with protection from fire and sun
In the new center “Bálna” in Budapest which integrates shopping, culture and restaurants, PYRAN® S specialty glass is used in the building shell. Those sections covering escape routes were required to meet fire protection regulations E 30. This is where SCHOTT’s PYRAN® S was installed. Two melting valves were fitted into the spacer bar between the insulating glass panes. In case of fire, these valves melt to create an opening through which the air that is trapped between the panes can escape to the outside. Melting valves are used whenever the counter sheet to the fire resistant glass is made of toughened glass.
The suitability of this special design had already been proven in two successful fire tests using both horizontal and inclined positions. The structure of the panes combines fire protection inside with an outer solar control glass. PYRAN® S is also suitable for applications with multifunctional requirements such as thermal and solar protection, and noise control. Together with its systems partners, SCHOTT Technical Glass Solutions GmbH designs structures with PYRAN® S, which are internationally approved and outstanding for applications in glass and steel facades, as is illustrated by “Bálna” in Budapest.
For the full report on “Bálna”, please visit: http://www.schott.com/
For more information, please visit: http://www.schott.com/
PYRAN® is a registered trademark of SCHOTT AG.
* Whether fitted in timber or steel structures, SCHOTT in cooperation with system partners develop doors with PYRAN® which are excellently suited and approved for sale in markets outside of Germany. The German building code does not list G (E) doors.
