Even more daylight through ultra-thin joint

An extra narrow joint and therefore more transparency and daylight. This was in short the message Vetrotech Saint-Gobain Benelux during the last edition of Architect@Work in Rotterdam. Here, the company presented the advanced structural fire-resistant glass solution Contraflam Structure Elegance. This glass offers architects new design possibilities thanks to its sleek, almost seamless finish. 

"Architects appreciate the ability to create large glass surfaces with minimal interruptions," says Sales Manager Ruud van der Sterren. "This not only contributes to an aesthetic whole, but also increases the well-being of the building's occupants by increasing natural light." Vetrotech is responding to this with the development of Contraflam Structure Elegance. "Previously, our thinnest available joint was 28 mm, but with this glass, the joint is only 18 mm. This offers the possibility of creating large glass walls that appear to be one." The product is particularly suitable for interior spaces, such as atriums and stairwells, and is suitable for application in steel, wood or aluminum.

A recent project in which Contraflam Structure Elegance played a central role is the Plus Ultra building in Amsterdam, designed by cepezed and with Van Wijnen as contractor. This building combines offices and laboratories and focuses on innovative bio- and health tech companies. 

For this project, different types of glass from Vetrotech were used for both the facade and the interior. In the façade, a two-sided fire-resistant solution was chosen, so that each time a building layer could be fireproofed over and the intermediate layer was provided with ordinary insulating glass.

Contraflam Structure Elegance was used in the interior to provide long sightlines and straight routes for the building's users. In addition, the sight lines of the slender styles had to extend from floor to floor. In addition to its fire-resistant properties (through the combination of tempered safety glass with a fire-resistant coating), Contraflam Structure Elegance also offers excellent acoustic insulation and can be combined with various framing and mounting systems. This makes it a flexible choice for a variety of building applications. "Glass should be sold in combination with a system. We do not sell this, but we test our glass with the main profile types from Jansen, Forster, Reynaers, among others, and with timber systems."

Should any glazing issues remain after that, Vetrotech is happy to think along with architect, contractor and executor. "In the case of the Plus Ultra building, we sat down with the various parties to solve challenges around engineering, transportation and assembly. This involved structural walls of 7 meters in length and 2.90 meters in height, some of which are fall-through resistant. The size of the profiles and the weight of the glass was therefore a challenge." 

During Architect@Work, architects were able to get to know Contraflam Structure Elegance. As Van der Sterren concludes, "We are always ready to work with architects to find the best solutions for their unique projects."