All-round glass façade for triangular administration building
The ground plan of the building corresponds to an isosceles triangle with edge lengths of 39 x 39 x 55 metres. The planning team from Hulverscheidt und Kindler decided on a circumferential mullion and transom façade on all three floors. The façade on the ground floor is set back by about one metre. The height of the floor-to-ceiling glass façade is 4 metres on the 1st and 2nd floors and 4.5 metres on the ground floor.
Those responsible attached particular importance to the design of the façade:
- No profile cross-sections were to be visible at the pointed corner ends.
- The offset in the façade grid due to the offset on the ground floor had to be compensated for in the design in order to create a harmonious overall appearance.
A horizontal sunshade protrudes at the height of the storey ceilings. It also runs around the entire building and is in the corporate colour red. Integrated into this is an additional temporary sunshade.
Architectural flair meets structural know-how
For the implementation of the glass façade, which was challenging both in terms of design and construction, the engineers from Hulverscheidt und Kindler relied on the metal construction experts from Baier. They had already worked together successfully on the conversion of a factory building into an office wing for Vogt Plastic GmbH.
Baier had to demonstrate architectural flair and structural expertise in the customised glazed roof ridge rider as well as in many other projects. Both were also required for the glass façade of the office building.
That’s sharp – façade detail for sharp angles
Special design attention was paid to the corners. The profile cross-sections of the mullions and transoms should not be visible here. Baier developed a detail that allows the corner to taper off at an acute angle.
A steel tube was placed in front of the joint of the two mullions and attached to the crossbars. The tube is covered with a triangular metal casing that lies in the same plane as the façade mullions. The cavity between the sheathing and the pipe is thermally insulated.
Leaving Schema F behind – harmonious façade grid despite setback
Another design challenge that Baier had to solve in the planning phase was the grid division of the façade. Due to the one-metre recess of the ground floor façade, the vertical axes would not run through if the grid were rigidly adhered to.
Baier’s designers moved the corresponding façade mullions out of the grid so that they were in alignment over the entire height of the building. The result is a harmonious appearance of the building envelope.
No feat of strength – construction and static calculation from a single source
The solution of the two design-critical points – corner formation and façade grid – naturally has a direct impact on the construction and statics of the façade. As an expert for metal façades, Baier delivered an “all-round carefree package” here.
In addition to the expert construction planning, Baier also prepared the static calculation. This included the verifications for the glass, the dowels, mullions and transoms as well as for the corner connection.
The corner detail with the combination of sheathed metal tube, corner posts and fastening to the crossbars required a special static consideration. The horizontal forces occurring at the corners due to wind pressure and suction were applied to the crossbars and the deformations at the two posts concerned were considered.
Due to the bending-resistant corner design in connection with the crossbars, the façade construction as a whole statically represents a truss.
The façade was fixed to each mullion – both at the base and at the head. It was fixed directly to the unfinished floor or the unfinished ceiling. At the base point the mullion was mounted with a fixed bearing, at the head point with a sliding bearing.
The construction was glazed with Solarlux solar control glass. Despite the sun protection contained in the glass, additional shading was necessary. It was integrated inconspicuously into the canopy construction running around the storey ceiling. The temporary shading was fixed to the façade mullion using stud bolts.
Early pays off – façade planning by the expert
The façade design and planning for the Fischer Group’s new administration building shows how important it is to seek contact with experts like Baier at an early stage. They know the sticking points – and how to solve them.
If you too have a building project with a design-defining glass façade, don’t hesitate to contact us. We are at your side at an early planning stage so that you get exactly the façade you envisage, including structural analysis and critical details.
