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Steel Curtain Walling System Cuts Contract Time

Significant time savings have been achieved through the use of an advanced new steel framed curtain walling system, employed for the main elevations to a three-storey commercial office development in Munich.

The Hermetic 45 system, introduced to the UK market by Steel Window Association member company Klockner RP Profiles, has made its first successful appearance in unitised form on the building.

Not only is the system extremely strong while still presenting very slim 45 mm thick sections, it is also thermally broken and therefore very energy efficient.

By assembling the transom and mullion sections together with the insulating glass units in the factory, enclosure of the building envelope can be achieved in two thirds of the time it would take adopting a stick-build approach; even with a lightweight aluminium system. This significant shortening of the critical path for the build programme can then allow other trades to commence work earlier.

During the Munich project carried out by RP Technik, 3,200 square metres of the Hermetic 45 units, each one measuring 12 metres high by five metres wide, were installed consuming less than three days total crane time.

The General Manager of Klockner RP Profiles, Jean Pierre Lajarige, recounts: 'The Hermetic 45 system is so strong that we can support glass units weighing up to 400 kg, which translates to an uninterrupted vision area 1500 mm wide by three metres high.

'With its thermal break the system also gives a U-value of 1.4 W/m2K while we can also offer it as a fire rated installation for 30 minutes integrity and insulation; with a 60 minute test pending. The system furthermore features highly advanced EPDM gasketry in a fully drained and pressure equalised assembly which enables it to achieve a figure of 1250 Pascals for air and rain penetration.'