Saint-Gobain Glass has provided an ad hoc solution for a renovated structure in the heart of Turin: the highest energy yield, without having to compromise aesthetics, safety and comfort.
The new Urban Center of Turin will demonstrate the role of glass in the construction sector, making it beautiful to see, but also functional with regards to the project of the building, able to offer energy efficiency, safety and light. Saint-Gobain Glass Italia has in fact, supplied the material of the five large windows of the structure looking out onto both Via Milano and on the Piazza Palazzo di Città, using SGG Vision-Lite, the new anti-reflection glass, in combination with SGG Planitherm low-E glass, in response to the aesthetics and high insulation needs of the building in winter and summer, so as to have savings on energy and the quality of air. A unique insulating glass pane contains different technologies and numerous advantages, resulting in the ideal solution for shop windows that look out onto pavements where pedestrians pass.
The need to reduce energy consumption is, right now, a high priority to conserve the ever more limited resources of fossil fuel, as well as to reduce environmental pollution caused in the production of energy. In Italy, in particular, Legal Decree 192 of 2005 foresees a series of performance specifications with regards to energy efficiency in buildings, and the highest levels of thermal transmittance permitted for walls, attics and ceilings.
In the case of the Urban Center of Turin, the specifications regarding efficiency/thermal insulation are, in accordance with the law, applied to the external building envelope, which are the walls facing the street, where glass is the dominant material. Insulating glass panes were therefore used to guarantee compliance with the specifications regarding energy savings in the winter, with transmittance value no higher than 1.7 W/m2K, the limit assigned to Turin. Saint-Gobain Glass’ solution guarantees energy savings of more than 20% and a considerable improvement in internal environmental comfort.
The glass panes face pavements of busy streets and must therefore guarantee both transparency and the safety of the people who come into contact with the glass – touching it. In fact, people need to be able to see through the glass to the inside in any kind of lighting, and reflection of the light must be limited.
Saint-Gobain Glass’ innovative technology has been grouped together in an ad hoc product – SGG Vision-Lite – which has a surface coating applied onto SGG Diamant – an extra-clear, and extremely transparent glass – able to reduce reflection enormously and make the glass almost invisible.
Last but not least, the safety standards regarding people require that the glass panes be safe, in other words, made up of glass that, in the case of breakage, does nor form large shards that are dangerous for pedestrians and visitors. The special assembling of SGG Vision-Lite in SGG Stadip laminated safety glass ensures these standards and performance.
Saint-Gobain is a global leader in the ‘habitat’ sectors, manufacturing and commercializing new generation materials for modern buildings. Saint-Gobain is present in 64 countries in the world, with 190,000 employees and turnover in 2010 of about EUR 40 billion.