One step ahead
SERVICES
Curtain Wall
Mullion and Transom Façade – Stick System
The mullion and transom façade system or “stick system” is a curtain wall system assembled on site.Façade components consist of a structural grid, generally in aluminium, made of vertical profiles, mullions, and horizontal profiles, transoms, gaskets, spandrel and glazed infill panels, joints and any necessary accessories (brisesoleil, shading systems, etc.).
The grid is hung to the building horizontal structure and the components are separately installed. The mullion and transom façade are generally more economic and flexible than the unitised curtain wall, but require longer timescales and more manpower.
Unitised Façade System
The unitised façade system consists of unitised cell units pre-assembled at factory with all the necessary components to form a complete envelope: mullions and transoms, generally in aluminium, spandrel and glazed infill panels, gaskets, joints and any necessary accessories (brisesoleil, shading systems, etc.). The finished modules are then transported to the building site, lifted to the installation floor and installed one by one from inside, until the whole façade is complete. The unitised system is generally more expensive than the mullion and transom façade and requires a more thorough planning of supply stages, but it allows to reduce noticeably installation timescales.
Structural and Semi-structural Façade
In a structural façade, spandrel and glazed infill panels are fixed with silicone to an aluminium structural frame, which is hung to the building bearing structure. As a result, the frame is invisible and panels are apparently free from any structural bonds. Bonding can be carried out on the four sides of the panel, or only on the two vertical or horizontal sides. Similarly, a façade is semi-structural when, further to silicone bonding, the panels are fixed to aluminium substructure also using metal supports positioned along the edge of the panel, hence a fixing metal device is visible along its perimeter, or partially hidden by the silicone strip.
Spider Glazing System
Punctual curtain walls are completely free from any structural grids supporting the infill panels.The façade is supported by a system of steel tendons and compressed structures that hold the glass panels on the four corners, forming a perfectly co-planar whole characterized by extreme transparency. This tendon and strut system ensures perfect support of the panels and wind load absorption. Air and water tightness are guaranteed by a silicone sealing applied along gaps between the panels, which furthermore aids glass own weight distribution. Punctual façades, generally conceived for a single glass system, can be realised also using double glass panels and opening units.
Double-skin Façade
The double-skin façade is an innovative system based on the co-existence of two separate glass walls, one internal and one external, and an air-space between them of varying widths. Compared to a single-skin façade, the double façade guarantees a higher performance level, in particular, better thermal and acoustic insulation. During the summer, the in-coming thermal load is significantly reduced thanks to the “greenhouse effect” produced inside the air-space, where the air is warmed thanks to the conversion of solar rays from short-wave to long-wave infrared and ejected outside. During the winter, this warm air can be conveyed inside to maintain thermal comfort.
Shaded Façade
The main distinctive feature of a shaded façade is the presence of mobile vertical steel sun louvres, hinged along the vertical side, shading the openings of the building from solar radiation.The advantage of this system is that sun louvres can be orientated according to the position of the sun to guarantee constant sun shading during the day. This system creates a special internal environmental condition allowing to exploit the whole internal usable floor area until the external envelope, further to creating a dynamic façade pattern that changes according to hour of the day and the season.Back
Special Works
Canopy
A canopy is an overhead roof structure that has open sides. Canopies are typically intended to provide shelter from the rain or sun, but may also be used for decorative purposes, or to give emphasis to a route or part of a building. Canopies may be independent of other structures, or may projects out from a structure such as a building, typically providing shelter at an entrance.
Balustrade
Frameless Glass Balustrades are a popular architectural glazing design feature on many projects, internally or externally, to create a clear yet strong safety barrier.Using toughened laminated structural glass, specially designed for use as frameless balustrades, you can create a structural balustrade that creates no obstruction insight through a space with a minimal contemporary finish throughout a build.Frameless glass balustrades can be used on external balconies, internal level changes or stairwells with various fixing techniques depending on the surrounding elements.
Sunbreake – Louvre
In the typical form, a horizontal projection extends from the sunside facade of a building.This is most commonly used to prevent facades with a large amount of glass from overheating during the summer. Often louvers are incorporated into the shade to prevent the high-angle summer sun falling on the facade.
Architectural Bronze
The Architectural Bronze describes a metal alloy of about 57 percent copper, 41 percent zinc and various other metals that contribute various qualities to the mix. The high proportion of the copper constituent imparts corrosion resistance and durability and the addition of manganese contributes tensile strength. Architectural Bronze therefore combines stability, strength and longevity with an aesthetic appeal which improves with time giving a feeling of luxury and prestige both inside and out to metal windows on any building.
Steel and Stainless Steel Structures
The characteristics of stainless steel, notably its corrosion resistance, aesthetic appearance and mechanical properties, make it ideally suited for many architectural applications.