UNIGLAS® | FACADE: innovative, sustainable, simple

High quality standards and technical expertise can be taken for granted at UNIGLAS and its cooperating companies.  The example of the new product UNIGLAS®| FACADE however also makes it abundantly clear that the UNIGLAS companies are taking a joint approach in the fields of development and improvement too.

After many years of research, initiated and largely funded by Holzforschung Austria, UNIGLAS®| FACADE timber/glass composite elements have now been perfected for a successful launch on the wider market. This is a product that passed practical tests long ago and is now already in use in many structures. But what exactly is this UNIGLAS®| FACADE? “It’s an innovative and sustainable structural glazing facade – and yet extremely simple in its application”, is how Thomas Fiedler, Technical Director of UNIGLAS, describes the system.

Flexible, natural and energy-efficient: UNIGLAS®| FACADE conforms to the very latest standards of environmental compatibility, energy efficiency and structural flexibility using system components. The main advantages of this innovative system lie in its structural versatility and in its small carbon footprint.

The TGC technology is not only persuasive in respect of the greatly reduced CO2 values and thermal insulation, but also permits problemfree connection of the elements to almost any housing construction components.

UNIGLAS®| FACADE timber-glass-composite elements are attractive in their inobtrusiveness. The contact surface was reduced to a minimum using their patented serrated wooden connecting strip. From the outside, therefore, only a narrow joint between the glass panes remains visible. From the inside, by contrast, only the timber substructure can be seen, which can also be colour-accentuated to match the customer’s requirements.

But it’s not only in terms of aesthetics that UNIGLAS®| FACADE is a pleasing reduction to the essentials.In its function too, UNIGLAS^® | FACADE gets right to the point. The UNIGLAS®| FACADE timber-glass-composite element consists of three main elements: an insulating glass pane and a patented wooden connecting strip, plus a special adhesive to connect them. All planned-for forces acting on the glass are transmitted to the beam-and-post structures via the flexible special adhesive, OTTOCOLL® S 660, and the patented wooden connecting strip. The specific design characteristics have been tested and verified by independent bodies. In buildings or annexes of up to two storeys, UNIGLAS®| FACADE can even take on the task of wind bracing for the structure. Expensive substructures incorporating wind braces and conspicuous aluminium frames are now just history.

Quick and easy is the watchword. UNIGLAS®| FACADE modules are pre-produced ready to fit, and once at the site only have to be fastened to the substructure and then sealed. This minimizes the fitting time for the timber-glass-composite elements to the same extent as the time needed for subsequent replacement of individual elements. This means that short building times, a high degree of pre-production and an exclusive look can dovetail perfectly with the need for design latitude.

The many possible applications of this innovative system range from annexes or conservatories to multi-storey facades. All the important information on the principle and application can be found in a summarized form with helpful animations at www.hgv-facade.de. Detailed information is provided in the current manual, where 48 pages set forth requirements, directions and general details.