8 NEWS GLASS FACADE Renovation of Rome HQ brings transparency
A renovation of the offices of Italian electricity and gas distributor Enel in central Rome provides new glazed facades that will “radically change the building,” said the architects.
Designed by Milan-based architecture
firm Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel (ACPV), the layout and design of the new headquarters on Viale Regina Margherita aims to develop a “building-city,” with new glazed walls which “balance the towers of the central structure.” The new facade’s glazing offers a “view through the sequence of architecture and surrounding greenery,” said the architects.
, the project has also been designed to increase users’ wellbeing through the provision of “modern, comfortable workspaces conceived around the concept of a more agile organisation.” The distribution of the rooms “alternates working environments with green indoor
Covering a total surface area of around 80,000 m2
PRINTED GLASS
Collaboration pursues curved innovations
China-based NSG (Nippon Sheet Glass) Group is collaborating with the University of Cambridge on innovative new glass applications, such as printing conductive materials onto curved glass. NSG, which owns Pilkington UK, is currently working with the university’s Fluids in Advanced Manufacturing team (FIAM) to establish a way of printing conductive materials onto wide areas of curved glass surfaces. Currently, conductive materials can
only be effectively printed onto flat glass surfaces. If successful, this innovation is set to enable the printing of metallic nano inks at high precision across curved glass, commented NSG. It will “introduce new applications for glass in architectural sectors by increasing the potential
and outdoor spaces and areas dedicated to mental and physical wellbeing.” The project will add wellness facilities, including a new gym, and the design has targeted LEED and WELL Gold certifications for sustainability and comfort. “The project facilitates the redesign of a building from the 1960s, reimagining it
according to completely new functional principles in line with emerging professional requirements,” said architect Patricia Viel, co-founder of architects Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel. “Enel is thus achieving two objectives: regenerating the building, and renewing its relationship with the city.”
functionality of glazing.”
The research aims to see the conductive materials applied to curved glass surfaces, using inkjet printing technology at the final stage of the manufacturing process. This process will help make high tech curved glass more cost effective to manufacture, said NSG.
For the first phase of the research, the partners are using virtual reality to model and design a laboratory that uses robotic technology to print the conductive materials onto curved glass surfaces. With
the use of robots, printing the nano inks will be done with high precision and speed, while accounting for the curvature of the glass. Dr Su Varma, programme director of the NSG Group European Technical Centre’s R&D incubator academic programme, said, “This is an exciting project that has the potential to extend the boundaries of glass’ use in building design. It allows high-tech applications of glass to not be limited to flat surfaces, expanding opportunities for architects.”
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ADF FEBRUARY 2021
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