Glass
Technology Live 2008
How can solar-active building skins be used?
What are the benefits of triple glazing in modern office buildings? An
exclusive preview of the future of glass technology and its use in architecture
will be provided by the Special Show glass technology live presented as
part of the international trade fair glasstec from 21st to 25th October
2008 in Düsseldorf.
At this early stage over 30 renowned architects' offices, companies and
research institutes have already confirmed their participation at the
Special Show with many more to follow. They will be showcasing the latest
product developments, manufacturing processes and technologies and exhibiting
current research results and forward-looking architectural projects in
the areas of glass and solar technology. The spectrum ranges from visionary
studies to solutions ready for mass-production. The Special Show was initiated
and will be implemented by Stefan Behling, Professor at the Institute
of Building Construction and Design of the Stuttgart University.
The focal theme of this year's glass technology live will be ‘Glass
and Energy’, subdivided into the four exhibition areas ‘Photovoltaics’,
‘Solar-Thermal Systems’, ‘Thermal and Solar Protection’
and ‘Light and Transparency’. Climate efficiency and environmental
protection are topics ranking high on the global agenda, so the demand
for innovative solutions is therefore correspondingly high. Thanks to
its unique combination of function and design glass offers tremendous
potential as a construction material. The Special Show glass technology
live offers architects, façade producers and engineers, in particular,
a whole host of ideas and practical assistance for their projects. By
way of examples the exhibition will demonstrate possible applications
for innovative glass products in energy-efficient and integrated façades
and building skins. The ‘Lehrter Bahnhof’ station realised by
architects Gerkan, Marg & Partner and the Monument to the Victims
of M11 in Madrid, planned by the Spanish architect FAM and the engineering
office Schlaich Bergermann & Partner, are just two of the highlights
of the extensive exhibition programme.
Held in parallel with the Special Show will be a high-calibre technical
symposium with lectures and presentations by researchers and practitioners.
Each day of the trade fair will address a different focal issue. The series
of lectures will commence under the title ‘Glass for Energy-Saving
and Generating Applications’. The following days will see a variety
of talks held under such headings as ‘Current Architectural Projects’,
‘Active-Solar Building Skins’, ‘Thermal and Solar Protection’
and ‘Saving Energy with Glass’. The Berlin architects' office
Armand Grüntuch will present a current building project, Saint Gobain
will lecture on glass wool insulation materials and the Window Engineering
Institute (ift) will provide information on new applications for triple
glazing. Solar thermal applications also play a key role. Schott Solar
will deliver a talk on ‘Solar Façades and Building Integrated
Solar Roofs - Pre-Report on Trends, Status Quo and Perspectives for the
Solar Industry’. In addition, there will be an entire session of
papers describing manufacturing technologies for thin-film modules.
Another highlight at glasstec will be the International Architects' Congress
held on 24th October 2008. First launched at glasstec in 2006, it will
be organised in co-operation with the Architects' Chamber North Rhine-Westphalia
and TU Delft. Approximately 500 architects attended in 2006. The title
of this year's event is ‘Transparency! Glass and Façade Technology’.
Companies in architecture, engineering, planning and façade construction
such as Wilkinson Eyre Architects - London and Intersolar - Stuttgart
/ Yale, will lecture delegates on the latest development in the areas
of design, construction, research and climate design.
Further information on the Special Show glass technology live, the accompanying
symposium and the Architects' Congress can be found on the website http://www.glasstec.de
