Date: 1 August 2007
Johann im Pongau; the same blue which is used throughout the Bluetower. The choice of the colour of the sky - which is said to exert a calming force - is no accident: the Leikermoser company wanted to venture into hitherto unexplored territory in the design of this new service station. "Our world begins where that of the multinationals ends", says Franz Leikermoser, Managing Director of the largest Salzburg oil trading company.
The spiral-shaped support structure at the centre of the Bluetower has a reinforced concrete core containing plumbing and supply shafts. It also contains a panorama lift and the staircase. The three floors above the petrol station shop are designed for use as office and business space. Glazed on all sides, it offers a magnificent view of the Innergebirg mountains.
Given that the façade around the parapet has no horizontal cross members, the glazing had to be designed so that, in case of fire, the outer layer would exhibit the required strength and the necessary fire-restraining effect to offer protection for at least 30 minutes. The façade structure - developed, prefabricated and erected by Metallbau Saller from Bischofshofen/Austria - meets these demands in full, a fact confirmed by the report by IBS, the State Institute for Preventive Fire Protection in Linz: "Based on the test documentation submitted for the SCHOTT PYRAN point-supported glazing system and an examination of the layered construction of these structural elements, we conclude that it offers protection against horizontal and vertical fire spread and also against the spread of fire to adjacent fire compartments.
A frameless, point-supported glass façade featuring fire protection glass from SCHOTT has been used for the first time in the Bluetower in St. Johann. Each of the four storeys represents a separate fire compartment. The roughly 2500 m², four-storey façade was sealed with storey-high, factory-produced façade plates with maximum axis heights of 3550 mm and unit widths of up to 1475 mm which were mounted onto the reinforced concrete frame structure. The gravity-actuated connection of the insulation glass elements is basically acheived using specially designed steel sections which are fixed at each floor using stainless steel point fittings.
The fire protection glazing elements are storey-high, 16 mm-thick insulation glass plates with shiplap edge profiles. The plates consist basically of an outer 8 mm-thick single shatterproof glass plate, a 1.52 mm-thick PVB film and an 8 mm-thick PYRAN S plate for E30 class fire resistant glazing. The space between the plates is filled with the rare gas krypton. The window structure guarantees transparent heat insulation which meets the most exacting standards while ensuring a pleasant indoor climate: the specially coated PVB film between the two outer plates reflects the sunlight thereby preventing excessive heating of the interior.
At the Esso Leikermoser station in St. Johan you can not only fill up with petrol but also buy refreshments at the station shop on the ground floor, setting new standards in friendly service and comfort. The Osnabrück-based shopfitting company Berner Ladenbau was responsible for designing the interior; its list of references also include the delicatessen stores Dalmayr and Käfer. The range of products, however, is just as attractive as the interior design: an extensive breakfast buffet including freshly baked bread, rolls and pastries is served together with Illy specialty coffees. Later in the day, seasonal salads, soups, snacks and of course delicious cakes and other desserts are served. The result is a service station where the emphasis is firmly on service. A small oasis of tranquillity and hospitality for travellers and local residents alike.
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