NEWS
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REFURBISHMENT
World’s biggest curved insulating glass units installed on Frankfurt tower
Facade and building envelope construction company seele has installed what are thought to be the world’s largest curved insulating glass units, for the revamp of the lobby facades at Frankfurt’s Messeturm. The office building, which was completed in 1991, is the second- tallest building in Germany. The lobby at ground floor level has
been revamped to a design by architect Helmut Jahn, working with Matteo Thun & Partners. Engineers from Werner Sobek co-operated in the design of the facade,
including developing the 17 metre high insulating glass units. The panes were bent to a radius of 24 metres. Flat panes arranged in polygonal form were “ruled out,” said seele, which meant that every pane had to be bent with a particular amount of curvature. Another feature of this design is that the
facade essentially consists of only a few parts – nine panes and 10 posts on either side of the tower. There are no horizontal members interrupting the glass, which helps to “create a sense of lightness and
transparency despite the dimensions,” said the firm. Owing to the large size, each pane
requires special bearings and must be held in place with glazing bars. The cold-bent insulating glass units measure approximately 17 m x 2.8 m and are supported by stainless steel posts weighing approximately 3.5 tonnes each. With solar-control coating on level 4 to reduce solar heat gains, the insulating glass “combines aesthetic and functional criteria,” commented seele.
ADF FEBRUARY 2020
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