Page 66 - Glass-Technology International no. 2/2018

ARCHITECTURAL APPLICATIONS

void is bordered by a freely tening elements and glass a lengthy decision-making the glass structure had to
formed glass roof over the units constituted the basis and modelling process. By ensure that the solar input
multi-story atrium. At the for all suppliers involved contrast with flat panes remained below a certain
upper end of the building, in the project. More than of glass, no technical val- limit to prevent dangerous
at a height of 71 metres, 10,000 individually curved ues exist in relation to the levels of reflected radiation
the towers are connected aluminium profiles were compressive strength, ten- that could lead to thermal
by a nearly 38-metre-long, supplied from Denmark sile strength and flexural breakage on the glass fa-
elegantly curved and earth- and the Netherlands, the strength for curved panes cades opposite. In the end,
quake-proof bridge, made glass units were produced of glass. Due to the fact the a mixture of a few flat and
of curved double-glazed in- in three factories in China, glass curvature and glass single bend glass units, as
sulating glass units, double and ultimately the entire 3D thickness affect the flex- well as hot and cold-bent
curved aluminium frames puzzle had to be precisely ural rigidity for their part, double-glazed insulating
and steel. This part of the pieced together on the con- the solar thermal loads and glass units was installed.
building weighs 1,000 struction site. the maximum energy ab- Due to the fact that in a hot
tonnes on its own. 3D mod- THE PERFECT GLASS sorption up to breakage, climate such as prevails in
elling that is accurate down MIX WAS A LONG the minimum bending ra- Dubai, the thermal load for
to the last millimetre of TIME IN THE MAKING dii as well as the maximum glass is much higher than
the primary and secondary bending angles for each in more temperate zones,
steel construction, curved Even the selection of the insulating glass unit had to and the dark glass units
aluminium profiles, fas- right glass was preceded by be calculated. In addition, also absorb a great deal of

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Photo credit: Zaha Hadid Architects

64 Glass-Technology International 2/2018