DuPont™ SentryGlas® Delivers Vital Functional, Structural and Aesthetic Performance for the Facade of the New Morocco Telecom Headquarters in Rabat
(Click on image for larger view.) |
(Photo: Jean-Paul Viguier et Associés) |
By deploying laminate panels incorporating SentryGlas®, the architects were able to address a number of important structural and functional demands; one of which was the high daytime temperatures and the large night-time temperature differential. During the day, the frontage of the building can quite easily see temperatures up to 70°C; something which immediately precludes the use of PVB-based laminates, as they are only certified up to 64°C by French building regulations. The superior thermal performance offered by SentryGlas® therefore made it an ideal candidate for this installation and, indeed, for others that face even higher temperatures, as SentryGlas® is up to 80°C.
Thanks to SentryGlas® being 100 times stiffer and five times stronger than PVB, the architects
(Click on image for larger view.) |
(Photo: Jean-Paul Viguier et Associés) By deploying laminate panels incorporating DuPont™ SentryGlas®, architects were able to successfully address a number of important structural and functional demands on Morocco Telecom's new headquarters in Rabat. |
With SentryGlas® there is an almost perfect transmission of load between two laminated sheets of glass – even at high temperatures – leading to excellent flexural behaviour when under load. As a result, laminates constructed with SentryGlas® show less than half the rate of deflection when compared to laminates incorporating PVB under the same load. Indeed, the deflection figure is very close to that exhibited by monolithic glass of the same thickness.
In this application, the deflection characteristics were also of particular importance due to the seismic activity experienced in the region. Should the worst happen, SentryGlas® laminates show excellent post-glass-breakage performance due to the strength of the interlayer. Upon impact, the glass may break, but dangerous fragments will adhere to the SentryGlas® interlayer, reducing the risk of injury to people in the vicinity.
(Click on image for larger view.) |
(Photo: Jean-Paul Viguier et Associés)The frontage of the building can see temperatures up to 70°C; something which immediately precludes the use of PVB-based laminates. In addition, thanks to SentryGlas® being 100 times stiffer and five times stronger than PVB, the architects were also able to design and specify laminate panels some 30% thinner and, as a result, significantly lighter, than PVB-based alternatives. |
Constructed by Italian laminator Zadra Vetri S.r.L., the laminate panels using SentryGlas® were also successfully tested to a number of important building test standards, including: Cahier 3574 (VEA) wind test with security load (wind equal to ±6000Pa), Cahier 3533 Stabilité en zone sismiques – seismic test; EN 12543-4 – irradiation test (4,000h); and NF P 08 302 – body impact test M50. The use of SentryGlas® in this application was also the subject of an 'Avis Technique' certificate from CSTB, further adding to its credentials.
As well as its numerous functional advantages, SentryGlas® interlayers provide multiple aesthetic benefits, including high, crystal-clear transparency, virtually universal resistance to yellowing and excellent edge stability; all of which are important to the long-term aesthetic appeal of the building and the quality associated with Moroccan Telecom's brand.
This case study is based upon information provided by:
Jean-Paul Viguier et Associés
Architecture et Urbanisme
16 rue du Champ de l'Alouette
75013 Paris
Tel.: (33)1 44 08 62 00
Fax : (33)1 44 08 62 02
Lorraine Karleskind
lkarleskind@viguier.com
DuPont Contact: Birgit Radlinger
Tel.: +49 (0) 61 02/18-2638
Fax: +49 (0) 61 02/18-1318
birgit.radlinger@dupont.com
