Diamond Glass – 270° panoramic view over Dublin at the Dean Hotel

Film also comfortably complies with German DIN 18008 (Part 6).  

Robustness, tenacity and elasticity were the properties targeted in the development of the new TROSIFOL EXTRA STRONG PVB film. This means it exhibits product characteristics surpassing those of the standard PVB films of the TROSIFOL product range and otherwise available on the market in terms of strength and glass adhesion. These properties were investigated and ascertained in exhaustive testing, e.g. at the University of the German Armed Forces in Munich. At the beginning of August, the German Institute for Construction Engineering (DIBt) in Berlin confirmed these product properties and awarded TROSIFOL EXTRA STRONG the general approval from the building authorities. The laminate composed of glass / TROSIFOL ES / glass thus qualifies as laminated safety glass according to the criteria of the German Lists of Construction Products, thus rendering time-consuming and costly approvals on a case-by-case basis superfluous.

In preparation for DIN 18008, Part 6, which is still at the draft stage, tests were conducted on Kuraray’s two structural films, TROSIFOL ES and SentryGlas*. The new part of the standard is concerned with “residual load-bearing capacity for walk-on constructions for maintenance purposes”. We are pleased to announce that both products comfortably satisfy the requirements.

DIBt approval cuts red tape

While the standard PVB films of TROSIFOL satisfy the requirements of a regulated component in the German Lists of Construction Products, TROSIFOL ES was previously excluded. Approval on a case-by-case basis was therefore needed – something that generated additional red tape particularly in small and medium-size construction projects.

The general approval from the building authorities granted by DIBt now makes it much easier to use laminated glass and laminated safety glass in private, municipal, industrial and commercial projects.

Necessary for the granting of the general approval were a multitude of complex laboratory tests and investigations into ageing behaviour and residual load-bearing capacity after glass breakage. These included, among other things, multiple pendulum tests. Here the film must remain intact, glass fragments must stick to it and the laminate’s residual load-bearing capacity must remain unimpaired.

A fine example of an application of TROSIFOL EXTRA STRONG is the glazed balustrade of the roof-top restaurant of the Dean Hotel in Dublin. As of recently, TROSIFOL EXTRA STRONG has been providing a 270° panoramic view across Dublin. On the roof of the Dean Hotel, the Irish glass processor Diamond Glass has installed a balustrade that offers hotel guests an impressive view of the city. All of the large-format panes (45 in total) are fastened only at the base in order to ensure maximum transparency.

James Crumlish, Director Diamond Glass: “To comply with the strict regulations governing protection from falling, we at Diamond Glass have used laminated safety glass consisting of 2 plies of 8 mm fully tempered glass sandwiching a twofold layer of TROSIFOL ES. Even in the unlikely event of breakage of both plies of tempered glass, the stiff PVB film excludes the risk of falling.”

The Dean Hotel built in the Georgian style is run by the same management, as the Clearance Hotel owned by Bono and The Edge of the Irish music group U2.