NEWS
Technal launches new facade products and design concepts at Batimat 2011
A
rchitectural aluminium façade specialist, Technal, has launched a series of new curtain walling, window and door products at Batimat 2011 in
Paris. It also presented some innovative new concepts which look to the future of façade design. This year the Technal stand at the international construction exhibition was designed by the leading French architect, Nicolas Michelin and had a number of key themes including: • Accessibility in response to the EU’s commitment to supporting the ageing population
• Refurbishment and renovation, particularly to achieve energy efficiency improvements to existing buildings
• The ordinary versus the extraordinary – demonstrating how a building can successfully blend into its environment whilst also providing drama and an exceptional quality environment inside. The stand had the appearance of a continental villa with a tree-filled patio and façades that had a series of opaque aluminium louvres and contrasting translucent bands of glazing, with a dark, midnight blue exterior. A number of new Technal façade products were launched at Batimat, which will be available in the UK and Ireland in this year. These include: The Soleal casement window range – available in tilt/turn, pivot, bottom and projecting top hung window options, and horizontal sliding and tilt/slide balcony door configurations. The range will set new standards in
energy efficiency and aesthetics. An innovative motorised side hung open-in window will provide automated locking and unlocking using a touch screen control to replace the traditional handle for users with disabilities. The Soleal door range – a high performance thermally broken commercial door in pivot and hinged configurations, and a single door with a disabled access threshold. A concealed parallel opening vent option for Technal’s MX curtain walling, giving specifiers the opportunity to radically increase natural ventilation as an alternative to tilt/turn and top hung vents. As part of Technal’s commitment to research and development, the stand also featured three innovative façade design concepts including a dual skin façade developed by Technal with Jacques Ferrier Architectures which ‘folds’ to help accommodate a building in its environment. The skin is ‘pleated’ vertically for east or west orientations and horizontally for southern aspects. The façade panels can be modular and units with photovoltaic cells can also act as a sunshade.
www.technal.co.uk
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NOTTINGHAM NAMED AS ‘WORLD’S
GREENEST CAMPUS’ The University of Nottingham is first in a new international ranking that judges institutions according to their energy management programmes, sustainability-related teaching and research, waste and water management,
percentage of green space on campus and the application of eco-sustainability policies and efforts.
The ‘Greenmetric of World Universities 2011’, produced by the University of Indonesia, features institutions from more than 40 countries. Nottingham’s aim is to become a sector-leading green university, and the past year has seen much work on a range of initiatives to reduce its carbon footprint. These include the
maintenance of its award- 8
winning parkland campuses incorporating green gardening practices, the use of innovative architecture and sustainable design in building new facilities, reducing the environmental impact of its IT use and introducing sustainable procurement practices into contracts with a growing number of major suppliers.
With 330 acres of rolling parkland, beautiful period buildings and a large lake, University Park is considered to be one of the most attractive campuses in the country. In 2011, it was awarded a Green Flag Award for the ninth year running. Nottingham was the first university to win a Green Flag for its parks and gardens. Across all its campuses, the University is currently investing £90m in new teaching and learning facilities, with new
PUBLIC SECTOR SUSTAINABILITY • VOLUME 2 ISSUE 1
buildings opening in 2011 in maths, engineering, humanities, veterinary and biosciences, and a revamp of campus cafes and food facilities. New and refurbished building designs have to meet the highest environmental criteria, and a range of renewable energy systems have been deployed in existing and new buildings. The University has
submitted plans for three wind turbines on land close to the River Trent, which, if
approved, would supply green electricity directly to its University Park campus. The turbines, which would meet one-third of the electricity needs of the campus, would reduce the University’s carbon emissions by 7,000 tonnes per year, equating to 40 per cent of the target reductions required by 2015.
The University has a strong
research portfolio in environmental sustainability. The Centre for Sustainable Energy Technologies at its Ningbo campus in China is not only a research centre, but also serves as a model building representing cutting-edge techniques for environmentally-responsible, sustainable construction. The Creative Energy Homes project, on the University Park campus in Nottingham UK, features six innovative eco- homes that serve as ‘living laboratories’ in which new techniques can be tested and demonstrated.
Creative Energy Homes is also a key project within the University’s new appeal, Impact: The Nottingham Campaign, which is delivering the University’s vision to change lives, tackle global issues and shape the future.
http://tiny.cc/UoNImpact
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