New step in development of curtain walling

New system offers slim profile, faster processing and larger spans

With the MC55 series, Aliplast is launching a completely new range of curtain wall series that responds to today's demands around aesthetics, efficiency, performance and durability. The MC55 replaces and unifies the previous five curtain wall types under one name, with different variants remaining within the series - such as MC55, Passive, Passive+, Glass and Fire. Also, in addition to the "Stepped" version, the style-line connections have been supplemented by a "Straight Cut. What remains the same: Aliplast's strength in bringing light, form and technology together in high-performance facade solutions. What changes: everything under the hood.

"We turned the entire curtain wall range inside out," says Alexander Morel, support project manager at Aliplast. "Where is there a real need in the market? Where could we do better? Those questions were central within our R&D department but also externally with customers and architects."

Not an upgrade, but a reset

Although Aliplast has been active with curtain wall systems for many years, the market response to the previous range was below expectations. The decision was made to invest heavily and fundamentally. "This is not just a technical upgrade," Morel states. "We spent two years working on new tests for wind and water tightness, burglar resistance, acoustics, glass weights and, above all, a much more efficient production and installation process."

The MC55 series is the result of that realignment. The name refers to the face width of the canopy: 55 mm. A sleek look that scores aesthetically while handling large spans of up to seven meters thanks to internal reinforcements. Within this series, the familiar distinction remains in types, tailored to specific performance requirements - from basic values in terms of thermal insulation, to fire resistance and profile-less design.

Fast, slim and smartly placed

Part of what sets the MC55 apart is the way the system is processed and delivered. "Think of it as a kind of Ikea approach," Morel says. "Our customers can order everything needed to manufacture and install a curtain wall through us. Spacers in one piece, new rubbers, reinforced glass supports, wider range of anchoring options, wind and watertight connections to the shell construction - all of which makes both production and assembly on site much faster and more efficient."

Additional strides have also been made in terms of aesthetics. The MC55 offers maximum glass surfaces, minimum profile thicknesses and new finishing options. "We have also expanded our current powder coating range with the new Natural Touch color series and a trendy Ano Lux anodized paint series. Each color is always assigned to a color class with price level and corresponding warranty - from five to 15 years," Morel said.

Project in pictures: Lecot Biermans, Breda

One of the first projects where the MC55 was successfully applied is the new building of Lecot Biermans on the Rithmeesterpark in Breda. A striking 6,500 m² building in which store, offices and logistics center come together. The design is by Oomen Architects. The facade construction was carried out by Willy Naessens and JM Van Delft & ZN.

For this project, Aliplast supplied the MC55 curtain wall - black on the first floor (RAL 9005) and dark gray on the first floor (RAL 9007) - together with Star 75 RSI doors, including EW30 fire resistance. "We have been working with Willy Naessens for quite some time, but did so for the first time for a curtain wall project," says Alexander Morel. "They deliberately chose Aliplast because we extrude, powder coat and roll everything in one location and can therefore offer extremely short delivery times. The decision was made in February and five weeks later the first facades were already on site."

The relaunch of the MC55 marks a repositioning within the curtain wall domain for Aliplast. "The first ten test projects are over, with full support from our side," says Morel. "The feedback is positive and the market launch - also in the Netherlands - will officially start at the beginning of July."