Date: 23 June 2008
Project Director Marianne Ingenhoven is delighted with the figures: “We are extremely satisfied with the great demand. We are receiving new enquiries from companies around the world every single day.” In particular, interest from international glass producers increased compared to the previous event in 2006. Until the staging of glasstec from October 21 – 25 in Düsseldorf, Germany, the organizers expects many more exhibitors to register. “Needless to say, this outstanding development of glasstec has not just happened coincidentally. Glass is today as much in demand as ever and companies naturally also want to participate in the world’s leading industry event,” added Marianne Ingenhoven.
Two of the key themes at glasstec 2008 will be photovoltaics and solar thermal systems. The “Solar and Laser Center” in Hall 11 will display interesting innovations such as novel thin-film modules: with their films only measuring a few thousandths of a millimeter, they constitute a promising alternative to conventional silicon solar cells. The solar theme will also be the central topic on two of the five conference days of the Technical Symposium which will accompany the “glass technology live” Special Show.
The other segments of the glass industry will focus just as much on innovations and a tour of glasstec 2008 reflects the diversity of this booming market: in Hall 9, craftsmantype finishers and processors of glass will present their practical applications of this material – from the finishing of flat and hollow glass to the construction of glass furniture and the use of glass as a lifestyle product in modern architecture. In Halls 10 and 11, firms representing the glass industry and glass production will showcase their spectacular
new developments: anti-microbial glass that kills up to 99.9% of bacteria is suitable for applications in both hospitals and nursing homes but also in private households and will play an important role in the future. High-tech features such as titanium coatings applied to the outer side of panes (for instance, to ensure that sunlight breaks down dirt deposits) are suited not only to major applications but also for sunglasses. The largest exhibition category at glasstec 2008 will be glass machinery and equipment manufacturing in Halls 12 - 17.
The Special Show “glass technology live” in Hall 11 will also have “glass and energy” as the main topic. The organizer Professor Stephan Behling and his Institute of Building Construction at the Stuttgart University have developed a presentation that will cover both today’s resource-saving measures and a preview of tomorrow’s technologies. The Innovationpark will feature the four segments “Light and Transparency”, “Photovoltaics”, “Solar Thermal Systems” and “Heat and Solar Protection”. Current international architecture projects and glass applications will demonstrate the implementation and integration of the latest technologies in insulation glass, windows and façades and will provide information on the construction of energy-efficient and integrative building covers along with relevant manufacturing and production processes.
The accompanying symposium will address issues such as “Glass for Energy-Saving and Generating Applications” and “Glass Architecture”. Projects of international acclaim such as the New York Times Building, designed by Architects Renzo Piano or the “Elbphilharmonie” designed by Herzog & de Meuron provide compelling evidence of the sensational and versatile applications possible with glass as a construction material.
The motto of the Architects’ Congress on October 24, 2008 will be “Transparency! Glass and Façade Technology“. The North Rhine-Westphalian Chamber of Architects and the Technical University of Delft in the Netherlands will be organizing this year’s congress.
Architects, structural engineers, HVAC engineers and façade planners - including Lise Ann Couture (Asymptote Architecture, New York), Chris Wilkinson (Wilkinson Eyre architects, London), Professor Stephan Behling (Foster and Partners, London, Institute for Building Construction at Stuttgart University), Thomas Auer (Transsolar, Klimaengineering, Stuttgart), Professor Dr.-Ing. Holger Techen (University of Applied Sciences, Frankfurt am Main), Prof. Dr. Ulrich Knaack, TU Delft and Andrea Compagno (Façade Planning and Consulting, Zürich) - will use their practical experience to present ideas and possible applications for “Glass and Façade Technology”. Reflections on the glass technology of tomorrow will be presented by Professor Bernhard Weller of the Institute of Building Construction at the Technical University of Dresden. The cost for participating in the Architects’ Congress is Euro 49. Visitors can relax while viewing the “glassart” section, where international artists will exhibit their artworks made from glass - ranging from containers and sculptures to glass paintings.
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