Form and function follow visions
With THERM+ the German system supplier RAICO offers state-of-the-art solutions for curtain walls and glass roofs. These are possible with structural profiles in aluminium, or applied on customary timber or steel frames. This multi-functionality, combined with a tested and approved quality and many application variations on always the same glazing technology, comply with a frequent approach to architectural design: form and function follow visions.

A unique gasket design
The distictive feature of this system is its special interior gasket design. Transom and mullion gaskets entirely cover the part of the structural profile showing towards the glass rebate, and thus seal off completely the outside from the inside. The joint between mullion and transom is executed with overlapping parts of the EPDM gaskets, resulting in a superior tightness even in these most crucial points.

Wide range of application

The advantage of this separate “sealing level” is, that it can be implied on any structural material equipped with the system screw channel. This one can be part of the extrusion like on the vast range of the system’s aluminium profiles available in various shapes and sizes. Or it can be an aluminium base profile with screw channel, applied by screws on any structures made of timber. Or in case of structural steel profiles, a combined screw channel with stainless steel envelope which can be welded on to any customary steel profile.

RAICO timber curtain wall

For the implementation of special requirements this base system can easily be adapted.

This way many variations are feasible like e.g. structural glazing curtain walls and glass roofs, passive house buildings with thermal insulation frame values down to Uf = 0,7 W/m2K, burglary preventive and fire resistive facades, glass roofs with an inclination down to 2° pitch and others.

Outstanding results in system tests
The technical features offered by THERM+ have been tested and approved by intensive tests carried out by leading European window institutes and confirmed by practical implementation in a multitude of projects throughout Europe and overseas. The results achieved in the tests reflect the technical possibilities of the system. The thermal insulation value goes down as far as Uf = 0,6 W/(m2K), the system is approved by the European Passive House Institute.

RAICO steel curtain wall

Weather resistance tests have been executed for a glass roof with an inclination of only 2° pitch with following outstanding results: Air tightness : class AE with Q < 0,1 m3/nm2 (max. allowed 1,5 m3/nm2) Water tightness : class RE 1050 with 1050 Pa (min. required : 600 Pa) Wind resistance : tested pressure 2000 Pa, safety test 3000 Pa. Burglary prevention is feasible without any optical change in resistance classes WK2 and WK3. Fire resistance has been tested in class RE 30 and approved in several countries.

Application examples
The wide potential of implementations can be demonstrated by three examplary buildings with very diverging requirements. A timber, a steel and an aluminium curtain wall based on the one single glazing technology could in each of the cases supply the solutions.

A street with a roof

The Faculty of Education at Cambridge University counts among the leading institutes in the UK. For their new building the renowned architects office BDP combined its diversified concept with sustainability and a strong ecological claim and opted for natural materials and thus a timber structure for the curtain wall.

The two parts of the building are connected by an open space giving the impression of a street. Its ends are limited by timber curtain walls which impress by their sheer height of 14 meters. Massive, column-like mullions could be avoided by a transmission of the static load through the transoms, leading to an extremely slim sightline of the timber structures. The THERM+ system substantiated this solution as its separate gasket level could assure a reliable drainage and ventilation.
This entrance area continues with a glass façade towards a staircase in the shape of a snail-shell. For this polygonal curtain wall special flat pressure profiles were applied, with an offset of only 3 mm against the glass surface.

Together with the timber profiles with only 50 mm width an extremely finelined structure could be accomplished. The glass façade of the library was designed by BDP in a serpentine shape, with an inclination of 12 degrees, and a height rising from 2 to 4 meters. Due to the glass roof aptitude and the versatility of the glazing system this area, like all the others with their quite specific requirements, could be executed with THERM+ as a standard product.

Alpine crystal

Aqua Dome, a new thermal spa, stands like a giant crystal in the well-known Tyrolean Ötz valley. Regardless of weather, here the guests can experience the immediate proximity to the surrounding mountains: the transparency of the glass façade and roof effectively removes the constructional separation to the almost tangible closeness of the Alps. To achieve this, architect Erich Schnögass from Vienna demanded something extra from the glass construction.

Everywhere on the site the various elements of glass, metal and water border on each other, framed by the omnipresent mountains. In crystalline form the outwardly angled glass facade of the main hall merges in two angles into a glass roof with a low pitch of under 5 degrees. For the highest possible transparency, the whole supporting structure is kept very delicate, with the glass panes generously proportioned. In the outdoor area, three levitated shell-like basins can be reached through a 16-metre high cone, reminiscent of a mountain peak. This polygonal structural glazing façade with silicone joints, too, could be executed with the standard THERM+ system.

All these differentiating constructional requirements had to be brought into unison with the main requirements in a swimming-pool atmosphere: reliable protection against corrosion from the damp air containing chlorine; secure ventilation and drainage of the whole façade construction; prevention of cold spots in the frame structure.

With only 56 mm visible width, the technical and optical requirements in the various thermal areas could be unified. The total approximately 2,000 square-metre façade construction of the whole facility demanded the highest precision, technology and versatility. The specific welded screw channel technique, and the whole steel construction when lacquered, assure the protection against influences in this special atmosphere, thus being dependable over the long term.

Noble brands under a new roof

The name Richemont International is not widely known to the general public. Yet their products with exclusive brands like Cartier, Montblanc, Baume & Mercier, fascinate consumers in the whole world. For the architectural design of their new head office in Geneva, Richemont have chosen a well-known name, too: Ateliers Jean Nouvel, Paris.

For the more than 300 employees Jean Nouvel designed a modern and clearly structured building situated in an existing park with its particular atmosphere.

4.500 m² aluminium curtain walls with several special profiles, a steel glass roof for the atrium with an inclination of only 2 degrees, and two new opening window systems were necessary to transfer the concept into reality. Between the structural mullions horizontal transoms with an impressive screen width of 5,20 m and a glass weight of more than 300 kg were placed. On top of that, the entire curtain wall had to be implemented in an expandible way, in order to compensate the tolerances of the main building’s steel structure and the differing dilation of the aluminium curtain wall. Here again, the separate levels of the glazing system and its reliable gasket layer were a real benefit for the implementation.

For the cover profiles Jean Nouvel created a special double sword-like design with a depth of 120 mm, leading to a unique cross point design due to the mitred connection. A system width of 76 mm was favoured as the THERM+ glazing systems for steel or timber curtain walls already offer an approved scope of gaskets and accessories. The building was designed to provide highest energy efficiency. The resulting high thermal insulation requirements for the entire glass façade could be fulfilled again with a standard application of the glazing system. With a foam profile in the glass rebate, for easy assembly connected to the pressure profile, a UCW-value below 1,0 W/m2K could be achieved with the infill thickness of 31 mm.

Further Information...

RAICO Bautechnik GmbH
Gewerbegebiet Nord 2 • D-87772 Pfaffenhausen
Phone +49 (0)8265 – 911 0 • Fax +49 (0)8265 – 911 100
E-Mail: info@raico.de • Web: www.raico.eu

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