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WINDOW& FACADE MAGAZINE
Volume 1 | Issue 1 November - December 2013
Cover Story :
Rise & Rise of GLASS WALL SYSTEMS Building Maintenance Units (BMU)
Selecting Fenestration Solutions
Overview of Green Fenestration Design
A Necessity for upcoming infrastructure
Ar. Rahul Ajeet Kadam
Ar. Ravindra Kumar
Contents
WINDOW& FACADE MAGAZINE
Volume 1 | Issue 1 November - December 2013
Published by: Sustainability – A mass movement
Overview of Green Fenestration Design 08
04 An insight into industry of what they perceive sustainability as
F & F Media and Publications C-55, Okhla Industrial Area, Phase - 1, New Delhi 110 020 T: +91-11-42576205
Architect Ravindra Kumar – VA Group
Co-Founders: Syed Ahad Ahmed Amit Malhotra
Building Maintenance Units
Healthy Buildings 22
16
Editorial & Advertising: Esha Sharma esha@wfm.co.in
A necessity for upcoming infrastructure
+91 9811986040
Role of effective fenestration
Concept Design: Ekta Manchanda Selecting Fenestration Solutions
Rashmi K
Rise & Rise of Glass Wall 26
(for Idiom Design & Consulting) 30
Architect Rahul Ajeet Kadam – Edifice
Energy Efficient Window Systems
J Rajendran
Face to Face with Ajay Tenany 38
34
Exploring the benefit of thermal break solutions
Interview with Ajay Tenany, Director, Reynaers Aluminium
DISCLAIMER: With regret we wish to say that publishers cannot be held responsible or liable for error or omission contained in this publication. The opinions and views contained in this publication are not necessarily those of the publishers. Readers are advised to seek expert advice before acting on any information contained in this publication which are very generic in nature. The ownership of trademarks is acknowledged. No part of this publication or any part of the contents thereof may be reproduced in any form or context without the permission of publishers in writing. WRITE TO THE EDITOR Please address your suggestions to: The Editor, Window & Façade Magazine, C55, Okhla Industrial Area, Phase – 1, New Delhi, 110020 or email esha@wfm.co.in. Please provide your full name and address, stating clearly if you do not wish us to print them. Alternatively log on to www.wfm.co.in and air your views. The opinions expressed in this section are of particular individuals and are in no way a reflection of the publisher’s views.
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Cover page image courtesy Glass Wall Systems | Project: Vasukamal
Design Head: Honest revelations on the rise of Glass Wall Systems
PREFACE
It gives us a great pleasure to release the first edition of the Window and Façade Magazine (WFM). The magazine’s editorial and technical team as well as the entire façade and fenestration industry in India have shown commendable cooperation as well as devotion in realizing this dream.
AMIT MALHOTRA amit@wfm.co.in
WFM was born at the initiative of two creative minds – Syed Ahad Ahmed, Director at Zak Trade Fairs & Exhibitions and Amit Malhotra, Leader at McCoy Group. The words “WFM” were chosen to indicate the specific aim for which this magazine has been designed for simple, technical and practically oriented content that is developed to detail specific subjects regarding different fields within the façade and fenestration industry. The ideation was taken further by our editor Esha Sharma. Credit also goes to our design partner Idiom Designs from Bangalore for showcasing the content in a right manner and helping us in putting up a high quality journal. Honest effort has been put to ensure that this magazine proves to be a delightful experience of learning from Indian and global practices in facade and fenestration. This magazine is designed to bring out the real and correct picture of emerging technologies and market trends from around the world. It shall showcase the concerns about common practices, the need for development of standards and shall raise the voice towards bringing quality and efficiency to the Indian façade and fenestration industry. On behalf of the magazine’s team I would like to express our deepest gratitude to the numerous industry professionals who shared our fervor and have beautifully contributed to our maiden edition. For the interest of the industry our continuous endeavor will be to bring out editions which will be oriented to the windows, doors, glass, façades and other related subjects. More so, each edition shall talk about specific subject and elaborate on technical and commercial challenges and solutions thereof around the same with respect to Indian context. Any suggestion and feedback that could assist us with the second edition is more than welcome and we shall strive to leave no stone unturned in order to live up to your expectations.
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SUSTAINABILITY – A Mass Movement
The enormous economic and population growth worldwide over the last four decades have together driven the impacts that threaten the health and well-being of our communities and nations. To name a few - ozone depletion, climate change, fouling of natural resources, and extensive loss of biodiversity and habitat.
Amidst this, one word that drives all activities across the globe in today’s time and age is Sustainability. Ranging from eco-systems to buildings, from commercial buildings to urban habitats, you name it and it strives to be sustainable. Leaders in business, government, academia, public-interest organizations, and communities are responding with innovative new solutions to sustainability. Large corporations, as well as small businesses are progressing beyond simple regulatory compliance in favor of more proactive roles in finding solutions to sustainability issues. The Indian building and construction industry is not far behind in this run for the cause. “For most urban projects, there are design charettes where sustainability consultant, structural consultant, architect and client get together and lay down the blueprint for the building which is conceived to be the epitome of sustainable methods and processes”, says Mr. KR Suresh, Regional Director, Axis Façade
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Each component of a building contributes in achieving the much sought after sustainability and so does the building envelop. The building skin affects both the appearance and performance of a building like no other building system. Façade and fenestration in a building are thus of paramount importance when considering issues of green building and sustainable design. WFM conducted a survey where they asked the general public or end user, what they understand by sustainability. Following pie chart describes their views: (Fig1) The results of the survey are as follows:
58% of the respondents feel sustainability corresponds to Energy Efficiency
20% believe it’s no more than a marketing gimmick
8% of the respondents have no idea as to what sustainability actually means
14% agree that Sustainability is the essence of Social, Economic and Environmental viability – also described as three pillars of sustainability.
(The respondents comprise of the internet users who choose to participate in the poll only and not the general public) There are a number of design drivers that account for developing and executing a high performance, sustainable façade vis-à-vis
A sustainable façade is the one which considers all these and still does not imbalance the environment, social equity and economic viability in the long run. There are various ways to enhance environmental gains and make a façade sustainable, ranging from low cost passive systems to phenomenally expensive dynamic ones.
water – [rain, humidity, condensation],
Air – [wind, ventilation],
Sound – [desired, undesired],
Light – [Sunlight, artificial],
View – [Public & Private],
heat – [solar radiation, air temperature],
Natural ventilation.
Solar shading through basic structural shading ornaments on the envelop.
Maximize day lighting at the same time minimizing glare.
Evaporative cooling and thermal banking.
Strategically planted trees for window shading and roof plantation etc.
Passive methods
Optimized form/orientation – where building’s axis is aligned after analyzing the sun path diagram for that specific zone and the façade is angled to a certain degree so as to minimize the heat gain.
Technological intervention: “These are one time smart moves taken in order to enhance building performance by selecting the high performance façade components and technologies and integrating them to the building design”, – says Sharanjit Singh, Chairman, GSC Glass
High performance insulated glazing – with especially selective low-E glass.
Double skin façade – this emergent technology is
fire – [flames, heat, smoke],
Pollution, security, safety, explosions etc.
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finding increased application in building projects where the attributes of transparent facades are desired the performance of the building skin is paramount. These sophisticated facade designs can compensate for the inherently poor insulating properties of glass. In addition to providing a thermal barrier, the systems can also provide an effective means of ventilation, and often involve shading devices for the control of solar penetration and glare
BIPV - Building-integrated photo-voltaic (BIPV) is an increasingly popular approach for using the building skin as a means to harvest solar energy
Dynamic Methods:
Heat Recovery Equipment
Sensors and Actuators – that respond to conditions like fire, smoke and inhabitation or lack of it
Responsive shading – dynamic louvers, photochromic shading devices which respond to position of solar position and help in light shelving as well to enable penetration of sunlight deep into the building
A sustainable façade helps in reduced consumption of resources and lowers the carbon footprint of the buildings. WFM confronted leading stakeholders from the industry ranging from architects, developers, consultants and so on, asked them how they perceive
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sustainability and what measures do they take to ensure that the window system or façade of their building will positively contribute in making their building eternally sustainable. We got various interesting responses: Excerpts:“Sustainability has become much more relevant now with increase in sheer scale of the projects with the advent of various options available today.” says Architect Raman Sikka of Sikka Associates. As per him, good planning was the key 15 years back and now as well. Now it’s being demanded that the building is sustainable, envelop is energy efficient. For instance in the commonwealth games village all the residential high-rises were specified to be GRIHA rated. The windows for each of them were designed considering the same. “Strategizing the whole process properly and doing the right things at the right time and the right place is the key to the whole sustainable story.”says Architect Alok Kumar, Chief Architect, DLF Limited
they incorporate sustainable development practices.”Their residential development – International City in Gurgaon, which is a joint venture with Sobha is one such example. Kangkan Chakraborty, President - Projects, Vatika Group, which was responsible for changing the face of NCR, maintains that they go an extra mile while designing and specifying engineered façade for their commercial buildings “Sustainability goes beyond thermal efficiency. The building has to be viable; every building is different and has its own sustainability requirements. Orientation, location, application of the building, comfort of the occupants – all these have to be considered, new innovations to be devised and tested in order to validate it. The façade needs to be evaluated on all aspects – comfort level, energy, orientation, day lighting, heat island effect and overall running and maintenance cycles and should eventually minimize the cost of running the building. Then only it can be deemed sustainable ”says KR Suresh.
Vasudevan D, CEO, Chintels reiterates that “depending on the market conditions and demands,
“The façade needs to be evaluated on all aspects – comfort level, energy, orientation, day lighting, heat island effect and overall running and maintenance cycles” KR Suresh, Regional Director, Axis Facades
“Strategizing the whole process properly and doing the right things at the right time and the right place is the key to the whole sustainable story” Ar. Alok Kumar, Chief Architect, DLF Limited To all these views there was a counter view which is worth mentioning here: The most sustainable building is one without windows. We are creating a problem and then we are solving it by creating more sustainable windows and façade. The most sustainable place to live in is a cave. But at the same time windows and façade bring in much needed air and light. There is a symbolic modern-ness about glass façades. So the need of the times is to design them so that they don’t pose a threat to our already depleting resources. Most important thing is to design windows where they matter. “For Indian climate having windows on the north façade makes sense. Having windows on the west doesn’t make sense. Use of DGUs wherever required, specialty films etc. are the measures worth considering and adopting” says Architect Gopinath Akalkotkar, Managing Leader, Statec Consultants. In words of Mahesh Arumugam, Director, Meinhardt Façade “façade is an element that interacts with all other elements of a building. It acts as a skin between interior and exterior. It
has to be designed in sustainable way so as to allow maximum natural ventilation and natural lighting. A building Façade is normally designed for minimum of 25 years and aiming up to 50 years. All recyclable material should be used – aluminium, glass. The chemicals and coatings should be VOC free and should blend with natural environment. The design should keep in view the maintenance requirements that will come up in the lifespan of the façade vis-à-vis cleaning, repair for the normal wear and tear etc” Thus we see sustainability is not just a myth or a marketing gimmick. There have been various qualitative researches that have identified that sustainable practices by the firms have in turn provided a few financial benefits to them in the long run. Environmental performance produces financial gain to the
building subsequently. A lot has changed in past decade in India – the client is more aware, the industry has evolved, but as the basic rule of physics say – ideal can’t be achieved. There are design challenges, conflicting requirements, quality cost and time balancing, problems with implementing and even if all this goes well there are performance inefficiencies. It is a long path to be treaded on. REFERENCES:
Journal of Industrial ecology – Stern School of Business
A sustainable technical system for ventilated façades
J. Avellaneda, J.M. Gonzalez, A. Carbonnel & D. López
Departament Construccions Arquitectòniques 1. Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya
Zak World of Façades - 6
“Sustainability has become much more relevant now with increase in sheer scale of the projects with the advent of various options available today” Ar. Raman Sikka, Associate Principal, Sikka Associates
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An overview of
Green Fenestration Design
There was never yet fair woman but she made mouths in a glass Ar. Ravindra Kumar
- William Shakespeare
About Author:
THE GREEN REVOLUTION
The author heads as the director for design studio, of Venkataramanan Associates and the principal and one of the founders for the research charette studio at Pragrup. With a keen understanding of complex modern architecture and of need to integrate building and landscape, Ravindra Kumar popularly known as Ravee, delivers lectures around the world sharing his experiences on his ideation of architecture.
Tall buildings are getting greener. Or green buildings are getting taller. Either way you slice it, the sustainability movement in the world has gone large-scale and skyward, and nowhere is this more apparent than in Mumbai or in other metro cities of India.
Knowing how to do things not just with the head, but with the hands as well, this might seem a programmatic and ideological goal. It is not. It is a way of safeguarding creative freedom. We vision a workshop against a studio to Build.
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By the end of this decade, several green high-rises vis-à-vis apartment buildings, office towers for a financial institution which are now being planned or are under construction will pepper the skyline. Why the surge? Owners and developers say they’ve discussed green design for years, but no one wanted to be the first to take the plunge. Within a year’s time from 1999 to 2000, environmental guidelines for construction were
“You use a glass mirror to see your face; you use works of art to see your soul” - George Bernard Shaw
passed, and the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification program was established. Those events changed everything. Before that, no one used to bother. No one understood green design or what its advantages were. But LEED gave us a blueprint for understanding how to get there, how to scale the heights of new Green Mantra. The projects that are currently underway involve committed clients who hire architects capable of leading multidisciplinary and often international teams through the confusing choreography of standards, guidelines, and best practices for sustainable design. Though the technologies and strategies they employ aren’t always new, as the vernacular or building ideologies of some of the great masters, many are rare in tall buildings, a situation that will change as more cities embrace density and draft their own sustainability principles. When our practice was chosen as the winning team for many a new projects in Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore, the critics swooned over facades of ultra-clear glass shaded by a scrim of white ceramics. In late 2002, lighting consultants and interior architects were already evaluating lighting and shading systems. So began a one-of-a-kind research project. The design team as an aspiration met with researchers, who recommended an integrated facade management system of dimmable lights and mechanized shades that would respond to the sun’s angle and intensity. The zones and control schemes were tweaked continually as data were collected. We didn’t want fixtures going on and off, or shades going up and down constantly, Mechanical means are inundated to limits of operational time spans. The study showed that enough daylight penetrated the 44-foot
perimeter zone of the building to permit lights in that area to be dimmed, if not turned off entirely, and lighting energy savings in winter ranged from 10 to 70 percent. The design team issued solicitations based on detailed performance specifications written during the study. THE EFFICIENCY THOUGHTBANK The European architects have turned to double-walled glazing systems for efficiency. Such a system wouldn’t have worked here because of hot, humid summers. Still various methods partake in realizing an efficient building façade:
One “face” of the building, which looks towards South, is preferred and designed to be double-glazed to prevent heat gain.
Floor-to-ceiling glass is fritted at the top and bottom for interior comfort but left clear in the middle to preserve views.
A variety of energy-saving technologies are planned, including an onsite 4.6-megawatt cogeneration system, geothermal heating and cooling etc.
Building-integrated photovoltaic installed in three places—atop a glass roof that floats over the entrance, along the entry pavilion, and on spandrels that support a 10-story notch on the facade.
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Although it won’t produce large amounts of electricity, we use BIPVs near the ground so that people could see them and learn the importance of renewable energy. Until not long ago, the architects and owners really led the process, but now we’re used to teaming up with engineers and consultants from the beginning of planning stage. In the process of aspiring for sustainable design practices, we challenge ourselves to make the best use of everything that’s available for free. For instance air, sunlight, rainfall. Amongst our most innovative endeavors for a sustainable design includes a one-acre planted roof on the podium and an air filtration system that removes 95 percent of particulates, compared to 35 percent for most buildings. SETTING THE BENCHMARK – OUR OWN GREEN BUILDING Buildings have such a huge impact on the
environment and health, so having our own green building was a way to recognize this and to put our employees first. People don’t interview for a job and wonder, ‘What’s the air quality like in here?’ But when they’re looking for an apartment, they want clean air; clean water and they’ll pay extra for those amenities. Rents in these buildings are anywhere between 10 to 20 percent higher than the conventional buildings. CHALLENGES AND THE WAYS AROUND Accolades aside, the true test of sustainability begins when the dust starts settling on these so called sustainable sites. Many buildings start failing and efficiency is reduced to just a number. This is especially true of large structures with complex systems, multiple tenants, and mixed uses. Normally each of these buildings is fully commissioned and operating problems start to surface much later. LEED aims to correct this situation by requiring projects to be reevaluated after every five years to maintain their rating. In cities like Mumbai, the zoning laws are based so much on the street grid that they are totally contrary to green design. They almost predetermine form and orientation. But there are exceptions that point up the growing influence of LEED and local sustainability mandates, despite the inevitable limitations and flaws of such criteria e.g. Nirlon Towers in Goregaon. Peer pressure helps too. It would have been nice to have been the first to build this way in History, but that’s okay we’ll just set higher goals the next time.
“Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.” - Anton Chekhov
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Although even architects agree they lost ground to designs bound by higher energy prices, India has continuously been taking cues from multiple high-rises in Europe, Shanghai, Mumbai, Hong Kong and other parts of the world. Future projects will see even more meddling of architecture and engineering to meet sustainability goals through formal means, and the most innovative examples might occur.
Traditional timber shutters.
Modified timber shutters with a thin layer of insulation in the panels.
Secondary glazing using a proprietary Aluminum system fitted tight to the existing sash.
Heavy curtains.
A traditional blind.
A blind with a low emissivity (low-E) plastic film applied to the side facing the window.
A honeycomb blind, which has two layers that enclose air, pockets.
THE WAY FORWARD The most recent analysis, which was carried, looked at heat gain in traditional homes. The study found that, in a traditional detached house, half of all heat gain was through the roof and through air infiltration/ventilation (28 and 22 per cent respectively). The windows accounted for just 15 per cent of the heat gain, rising to 19 per cent in a flatted apartment. This clearly shows that the focus for remedial measures should always be on insulating the roof and controlling infiltration, and the key areas of concern are none other than windows that have to be addressed not just for infiltration losses but also to improve the thermal performance. Another study commissioned looked at the improvements that could be made to a typical sash window to reduce its heat gain or loss. The tests included the original single-glazed window which had been draught proofed using the Ventrolla system and augmented by the following:-
After the tests were completed, the window was re-glazed using slim-profile low-E, argon-filled double-glazed units and tested again. (Slim-profile sealed units were chosen because they can be fitted within the glazing bars without obscuring the sight lines.) The results are mentioned in the below table. (table 1) The findings showed that the chosen secondary glazing system actually outperformed the chosen double-glazing system, with a U-value that was more than adequate for current building regulations. Several combinations were also tested. Of these, the use of secondary glazing with heavy curtains is
Reduction in heat loss – U-Value in W/m²K Against reference value of 5.4 W/m2K for a single glass (center of pane) Description
Reduction of energy loss in %
Resulting U-Value
Heavy Curtains
14%
3.2
Modern Roller Blind
22%
3.0
Victorian Blind
28%
3.2
Honeycomb Blind
36%
2.4
Modern roller blind with Low-E film
45%
2.2
Shutters
51%
2.2
DGU in Slim Profile
55%
1.9
Modified Shutters
60%
1.6
Secondary Glazing System
63%
1.7 Table 1
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“People are constantly asking Portia and me if we are going to have children. We thought about it. We love to be around children after they've been fed and bathed. But we ultimately decided that we don't want children of our own. There is far too much glass in our house” - Ellen DeGeneres
the most likely to be encountered in homes at night, achieving a U-value of just 1.3 W/m²K, and a heat loss reduction of 66 per cent against single glazing. The findings do not mean that secondary glazing is always more effective than double-glazing, as many factors affect its performance. For example, the spacer bar around the perimeter of the pane of a double-glazed unit will conduct more heat than the centre of the unit, so a double-glazed small-paned window such as a 6ft x 6ft sash window will be less efficient than the one with a single pane. Nevertheless, the analysis does show that, from a heat performance perspective, the use of properly installed secondary glazing provides perfectly adequate levels of insulation, which can often be more effective than double-glazing. HISTORIC AND AESTHETIC SIGNIFICANCE OF WINDOWS Windows are the key to the character of historic buildings or buildings built with no greening principles. A minor change like increasing the thickness of glazing bars can have a dramatic impact on the character of a window. Reflections are also extremely important, in a small-paned window, each pane reflects at a slightly different angle, resulting in broken reflection lines across the window. This variation is lost when dummy glazing bars are planted onto the face of a large sheet of glass. Old
glass itself has a unique character; crown glass has radiating ripples and is widely found in small-paned Georgian windows, while the cylinder glass commonly found in windows made after 1845 has parallel ripples. Both distort reflections across the pane, adding character to the appearance of the building. As so often in conservation, a solution for one problem raises further issues. Designing a successful programme of thermal improvements requires a holistic approach to the interior environment of the building by a specialist who understands how historic or in use buildings work. There is no single answer. Each situation needs to be considered individually. STRUCTURAL GLAZING – An ode to modern façade design Structural Glazing systems are a brilliant, cost effective solution for contemporary glass design. Structural Glazing systems consist of a fully or partially framed internal finish, with the glass structurally adhered to the outside face. All to produce a complete flush silicone jointed external finish. Whilst the framed internal appearance is more traditional, structural glazing provides a high flexibility in regards to the sections utilized and framework finish.
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From a weathering perspective, Structural Glazing systems are typically reliant on the application of sealant. Therefore once a Structural Glazing system has been installed and initially tested under severe weather conditions, weather integrity should be maintained for at least 20 years from application. As structural glazing systems do not rely on internal weep systems and subsequent drainage, they may be installed at as low as 3-5 degrees pitch. System comprises of structural glazing tapes, a polyurethane structural adhesive (air cured) and the internal face of the glass black primed locally over all supporting framework. The glass will be provided with a black spacer and silicone seal as standard, providing a complete black reflective appearance, which conceals the internal frame. Technically the glass does not need to be 4 edge supported, making it feasible
for many applications to contain unsupported glass-to-glass silicone joints. It is important whilst installing structural glazing that the conditions and environment are correct for the product utilized. Some adhesive methods involve UV light curing through the glass, which in turn may become less effective over spacer bar details. All vertical structural glazing at height should also be mechanically retained. Structural Glazing is an excellent way of producing a structure, which aesthetically suits most external elevations, and surrounding environments. The author can be contacted at ravee@pragrup.in
“Become dust, and they will throw thee in the air, Become stone - and they will throw thee on glass� - Muhammad Iqbal Nirlon Knowledge Park, Goregon, Mumbai
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Building Maintenance Units – A Necessity For Upcoming Infrastructure
Everything needs maintenance. And philosophy aside, Façades, like cars are not maintenance free. They require regular checks and maintenance activities for the upkeep of appearance and ad hoc replacements are to be done when needed which enhances the life of the façade.
also deteriorates with time. We have even noticed birds and bats picking on it thereby making it prone to erosion and deterioration.
The concept of building maintenance is slightly misunderstood in the industry. More often than not it is just considered as a system to clean the façade. However, that’s just one of the various other important aspects of a Building Maintenance Unit (BMU). (Also called Façade Access System or Façade Cleaning System).
There are three important aspects of a Building Maintenance Unit –
All façade components are susceptible to weathering and as time goes by – temperature, UV, dust, rains etc. they all affect them. Dust and grime sets on the glass and ACP panels, rain water mixed with atmospheric pollutants runs havoc on the façade surface. Silicon, the most widely used chemical in the façade industry
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Thus it’s imperative that due measures are taken for periodic cleaning maintenance of the building façades.
Periodic cleaning (cleaning cycle)
Identification of the problem area which needs attention immediately or in near future
Maintenance, Replacement or repair job
In NCR – Gurgaon/Noida – which is the hub of new developments and ongoing construction activities, there is a lot of dust suspended in the air which settles on the building envelops hampering their appearance. Therefore cleaning activities should happen at least once in every quarter as per building
cleaning cycle which is ideal. A neat and clean building enhances the developer’s image. Dirt and grime etc. are chemical in nature – it could be acidic and when mixed with the rain, it destroys the surface of glass and ACP. Thus, façade cleaning is not a onetime process. If building owners think that they can get it cleaned just once a year – it won’t work. Every time a delay is there from the scheduled cleaning, the chemicals take a toll on the components of façade – glass panels, ACP etc. and calls for huge economic repercussions. Regular periodic cleaning activities on a façade have other advantages as well besides the basic purpose of getting rid of dirt. It helps in identifying the problem area in a façade. There may be gaps in silicon, or a panel which has become loose, or there is some sort of leakage in the panels. All these things can be identified and taken note of and subsequently can be rectified.
“People are like stained glass windows – they sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when darkness sets in their true beauty is revealed only if there is light within” - Elizabeth Kubler Ross Fig1
POPULAR BMU SYSTEMS “Access systems are tailor made depending on height and geometry of the buildings (0-50 m, 50-100m, 100-200m and above). High rises and more complex building shapes pose special challenges in designing a suitable façade access system” says Mahesh Arumugam, Director, Meinhardt Façade Technology In today’s day and age, façade access systems have become technologically superior. A couple of decades back only available systems in India were the portable ones which needed to be moved manually, but now there are motorized systems available with varying degrees of automation possible. Some of the popular façade access systems are listed below: 1. ABSEILING – rope access or spider man as it is popularly called is one of the popular systems mainly deployed for cleaning (Fig1). The system includes mountaineering equipment and
rope with inbuilt safety mechanism of secondary rope. The rope needs to be installed with safety anchor at the top of the building. Additionally, these ropes and equipment need to be regularly checked and logged. Spiderman is mostly used in small projects that need economical maintenance solutions. It is also used in buildings and specific areas where access through any other system is not possible. E.g. in atriums or U shaped alleys where it’s impossible to incorporate more sophisticated systems Limitations of Abseiling This technology is meant only for cleaning of the facade. For other maintenances like glass checking, glass replacement and mastic filling, alternate façade access systems are needed.
This could only be used for short durations as it may hamper the blood circulation of the worker. However, with advancement of technology,
Special harnesses are now available to allow a full 8 hour working day without blood circulation issues. To improve the cleaning cycle, more workers can be deployed simultaneously to make this the fastest cleaning system. Another peculiar limitation that we have come across is that a single man hanging down the ropes scares off the occupants of the building
There is also one advanced form of abseiling which is used and is popularly called – The flying chair. In this the person is sitting comfortably on the chair which is completely automated with hoisters, motors etc. and all the equipment is hanging on the chair instead of in the hands of the man power deployed. Its more secure and anchor equipment on top of building are more permanent.
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2. GONDOLAS or CRADLE SYSTEMS – mother of all the cleaning equipment is a cradle with double suspension system hanged from brackets, davits attached on the top of the buildings. It is suspended on 2 sides by 4 very high capacity steel wire ropes. One on each side has a motor attached to it and other two are the safety ropes. It works on the same principle as that of an elevator similar to construction gondolas. A gondola is big enough to carry two people and the equipment required. A standard gondola/cradle that is used internationally is either 2, 2.5 or 3 meters x 0.8 meters with a weight restriction of 240 Kg according to the CE norm. “In India there is no standard law which specifies this industry. However we have taken some cues from BIS standards. We have designed gondolas up to 2.5 meters in length, so that we can take up panels of up to 2 meters width as per project geometry requirements” Sunil Malhotra, Director, Apple Tree The safety is taken care of by its inherent design. A gondola is suspended by means of 4 highly tensile steel wire ropes. They are either self-climbing cradles or with roof mounted BMU trolleys. If either wire breaks, then a safety lever (which is there in a standard gondola) can be pressed and the gondola/cradle is safely brought down and parked. Besides, like everything else, gondolas/cradles too have to be maintained and certified to ensure safety as per
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Fig 2 - A typical cradle
“We have designed gondolas up to 2.5 meters in length, so that we can take up panels of up to 2 meters width as per project geometry requirements” Sunil Malhotra, Director, Apple Tree
Fig 3 - High Mounted Davit
codes, guidelines and good industry practice.
through hydraulics and mechanics, luffing, soft rope restraint system for all round cleaning of the building. If designed and maintained properly the life can exceed 30 years. This is the concept widely prevalent in west and middle-east.
3. MONORAIL System – this is most commonly used from the point of practicality in our country. This portrays all the aspects of a fully automated BMU and yet is inexpensive. There is a rail that runs on the outer periphery of the building roof and the cradles are suspended from them and can cover the complete perimeter of the building.
INTEGRATING BMU DESIGN WITH THE BUILDING DESIGN
Limitations: Since it is visible it hampers the aesthetics of the building so it’s not liked by the architects. However, with proper planning and design integration means can be devised where the whole system can be camouflaged and become part of the system design. 4. BMU on track The safest system that has become synonymous to BMU is the one where there is a roof mounted BMU machine moving on the rooftop on rail tracks or on its own motorized guided wheels. Ideally it is designed at the time of building design and conception and arrangements are made in the beginning only to incorporate this. Man power required is least. 2 people can actually clean the entire building. Maintenance is less and it’s fully automated. It can be tailor made according to the individual building requirement. The length of the boom can go up to 45 meters. And all around 360 degree movements are possible
Fig 4 - Horizontal Mono Rail
BMU’s are an essential constituent of every building but are ignored largely. The way forward would be to integrate them at the early stages by appointing consultants, and incorporating within the system design and conceptualization from base level with the architectural
"BMU's can be designed for any building size and shape. We at Meinhardt, are one of the largest BMU consultants in the world and have executed many complex BMU integrated projects" Mahesh Arumugam, Director, Meinhardt Façade
Fig 5 - BMU on track
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blueprint of the building. It is an essential part of the planning and design and must be incorporated right at the beginning.
well-planned and efficient BMU can be devised only if it is integrated right at the design stage.
Typical information required for planning a BMU:
FUTURE OF BMU
Perspectives / 3D sketches / Model pictures
Roof plan both architectural and structural
Every building needs maintenance and in India more and more buildings are coming up. At the end of the day it’s a challenge to clean and maintain them. BMU have to be deployed.
Elevations
Next generation of façade
Another next generation system which is already being used is where the cleaning system is incorporated in the façade itself. Each window is equipped with its own motor and wiper. The motor sprays the cleaning agent and wiper brings it down while cleaning the window. But it is very expensive to have individual system for each window. Then wipers have to be maintained and replaced from time to time.
Fig 6 - A knuckle jib
for repair or maintenance jobs, manpower will have to be deployed and another limitation is that if a building has a fancy façade with fins or protrusions, then it can’t be used.
Floor plans – ground, each typical floor type
Roof equipment layout: Clear spaces on roof
Exterior wall sections of the façade showing recesses or projections
If the above factors are taken into consideration right at the beginning then maintenance in future is a cake walk as a | 20 WFM NOV-DEC 2013 |
cleaning systems are bound to change the face of this country. Many of them are already foraying into Indian Market. An example for next generation access system is where the suspension of the cradles is the same i.e. either on roof top tracks or external monorails, but the cradles are automated with inbuilt washers. It sprays the cleaning agent onto the façade surface and cleaning can be done automatically. However
An extraordinary advancement in the technology has come with the Robotic Cleaning – it’s a square box which is stuck on the window. It measures the area of the window to be cleaned with help of laser. It is filled with the cleaning liquid. It moves on the façade area in a predetermined movement calculated with help of its CNC system and then automatically stops and parks itself on one corner one’s finished cleaning. Then you need to put it to the next window. It’s great innovation for smaller areas vis-à-vis residences or shop-fronts. Thus we see that the technology has come a long way and is continuously evolving. The BMU are something that are an absolute necessity for any building. Article contributed by 1. Sunil Malhotra, Apple Tree 2. Mahesh Arumugam, Meinhardt
HEALTHY BUILDINGS
– ROLE OF EFFECTIVE FENESTRATION
On average, we spend about 90 percent of our time indoors, thus it’s imperative that we have an indoor environment which is conducive to general wellbeing of the occupants. There are a number of factors that influence the indoor environment in any given building. Be it an office space or a house. For instance – Indoor air quality, natural lighting of the indoor spaces, clean ventilated and well lit interiors, bereft of annoying outdoor noises. Windows and façade play an enormous role in ensuring the building’s indoor environment is healthy. They are responsible for ensuring that the interior spaces are well lit and adequately ventilated. And while ensuring this prime objective they take up the dual responsibility of acting as a barrier between inside and outside and keep the unsolicited intruders as Noise, air pollution, rain, humidity at bay. It is of utmost importance that a building façade is designed with a holistic approach keeping the wellbeing of occupants in mind. How detrimental an unhealthy building can be in case its windows or façade are not sensitive to the health requirements of its occupants? The key facts shall be discussed in 2 consecutive issues of the Window and façade magazine. This issue shall particularly address the noise hazard on human wellbeing.
than low ones. Pure tones are more disturbing than a sound made up of many tones. It is one of the foremost responsibilities of fenestration system of the building to keep this undesirable element out
Source: Trosifol
Noise It is customary to call any undesirable sound "noise." The disturbing effects of noise depend both on the intensity and the frequency of the tones. For example, higher frequencies are more disturbing
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Fig 1
EFFECTS OF NOISE ON HUMAN HEALTH: (Fig 1) Unrestricted noise can cause
loss of concentration,
hypertension and vasoconstriction,
Mood swings/ annoyance/ and sleep disturbance,
Palpitations
Permanent hearing loss or hearing disorders of irreversible nature.
Changes in the immune system and birth defects have been attributed to noise exposure.
“Children from noisy residences possess a risk of higher heart rate”
Sound is well transmitted into the uterine environment thus causing immense and irreparable damage to the fetus (Fig 2). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency authored a pamphlet in 1978 that suggested a correlation between low-birth weight babies (using the World Health Organization definition of less than 2,500 g) and high sound levels, and also correlations in abnormally high rates of birth defects, where expectant mothers are exposed to elevated sound levels, such as typical airport environs. Specific birth abnormalities included harelip, cleft palate, and defects in the spine. a more difficult time understanding speech than those who learn in quieter settings.
Fig 2
When young children are exposed to speech interference levels of noise on a regular basis (the volume of which varies depending on distance and loudness of the speaker), they may develop speech or reading difficulties, because auditory processing functions are compromised. Children continue to develop their speech perception abilities until they reach their teenage years. Evidence has shown that when children learn in noisier classrooms, they have
In a study conducted by Cornell University in 1993, children exposed to outside noise in learning environments experienced trouble with word discrimination as well as various cognitive developmental delays. In particular, the writing learning impairment known as dysgraphia is commonly associated with environmental stressors in the classroom. The effect of high noise levels on small children has been known to cause physical health damages as well. Children from noisy residences often possess a heart rate that is significantly higher (by 2 beats/min on average) than in children from quieter residences. It is the duty of the window / façade contractor and responsibility of the architect to consider the acoustic performance for the building, particularly in
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circumstances where external noises may be significant or may be a nuisance To scale down an existing noise nuisance perceived as loud, 2 fundamental physical effects of wave propagation may be exploited: Sound isolation by REFLECTION: The sound energy is not dissipated or converted to a different energy form, but its direction of propagation is changed by reflection. Sound isolation by ABSORPTION: In this case the sound energies are essentially converted into heat (dissipation) Influencing Factors
Glass performance / spandrel panels
Area of the Fenestration product
Frame Performance
Air tightness of
Installation
The opening frame
Building Height
Typical Glass Values Double glazing was originally developed to reduce heat loss through windows. However, by judicious design, it is possible to achieve moderately high acoustic insulation. A double glazed
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Typical Glass Unit
RM
RW
RTRA
Effect of Frame
4|12|4
29
31
25
Negligible
6|12|6
30
33
26
Negligible
10|12|4
34
36
29
Negligible
10|12|6
34
38
32
Negligible
10|12|6.4
36
40
34
Significant
Table 2: Acoustic performance of glass units source Pilkington’s, for actual performance of glass units, consult your glazing supplier. 1
RM (Mean Value) this is the simplest approach, involving an arithmetic mean of the sound reduction indices measured at the 16 1/3 octaves
2
RW (Weighted) this is the most common way to classify sound insulation. It is biased towards the particular frequencies that humans are particularly sensitivity to, giving an indication to the perceived acoustic performance.
3
RTRA (Traffic noise reduction) is biased towards the lower frequencies and is used to compare products where the external noises arise from mainly lower frequency road traffic.
window with 4/12/4 will typically achieve the minimum 29dB for residential doors. Noise control should be taken into account from the beginning of the planning process for a new building: The frame, glass, and special installation techniques should be selected so that all sources of disturbance can be provided with effective vibration isolation. While this issue deals with the noise as a health deterrent and how effective fenestration can help in combating that, the next issue will talk about the sick building syndrome and the role of fenestration to avoid that. Until then….
REFERENCES: 1
Noise Control – A Guide for Workers & Employers Occupational Safety And Health Administration – US Department of Labor
2. Building Regulations Approved Document Smart Building Systems 3. Text book of Medical Physiology Arthur C Guyton 4. Robbins Pathologic Basics of Disease Vinay Kumar, Abdul K. Abbas, John C. Aster
SELECTING FENESTRATION SOLUTIONS “At the core of every design is functionality supported by objectives, requirements and possibilities.
Ar. Rahul Ajeet Kadam Regional Head & Director Edifice
While some spaces are content being functional, others evolve into aspirational art forms. The difference is not in technology – the difference is DESIGN…”
About Author: The author is an architect and has over 18 years of professional experience and 13 years with Edifice alone. He has participation in over 50 projects from various sectors and is currently the Regional Head and Director at Edifice and head of operations for the Pune and South Maharashtra region. He has been formally trained at the University of Pune and the South Bank University in London, respectively and has travelled to over 15 countries understand architectural trends, spaces and their effect on human senses. Designs should be sensitive to context, client, environment and business processes and the same principle goes in designing a beautiful yet functional façade. In fact, the first gesture of an architect is to draw a perimeter; this perimeter which separates the microclimate from the macro space outside, yet is an ode to the communication between finite and infinite. Conveying this idea, there are various factors which
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are considered important while designing, specifying and selecting a window or a façade solution. Presented hereafter is some of our best architectural work that represents factors that architects need to consider while selecting window/ façade systems.
Framing views:
Referring to the strategic positioning of the windows in order to visually connect the inside with the outside, this is an important consideration creating an inside-outside experience. For instance we removed an industrial bay and a gable wall of an industrial building and replaced it with glass (fig. 1), this brought in the light to the office interiors and also created a “respite space” between two gable elevations thus adding a lot of value. Evidence mapping indicated that the spatial effect contributed to 15% increase in the efficiency of the occupants over 6 months after occupying the space. Thus, strategically positioned windows in a building façade enhanced the aesthetic and functional value of the building in a big way.
Fig 1
Fig 2
Responding to the Climate:
Contextual climatic considerations are very important for positioning of windows as optimal heat gain, sound privacy, zero water egress, etc., all need to be planned for while selecting a suitable window or façade solution. Local sun path, incidental solar angle during various times of the day and during different seasons, relative humidity prevailing all through the year and at particular times, rainfall etc. play a crucial role when an architect is conceptualizing the façade design. For instance, in this project sun path diagram was analyzed and the façade was given an 5 degrees slant (fig.2) which cut the incidental solar radiation of the north – west, evening sun between 3 to 6:30 PM, which comes at an 18 degree angle in Hyderabad. The small atrium on the south side protects the floor plate from heat gain and the east and west side is protected from heat gain by positioning of buffer spaces stores, toilets and stair cases.
Fig 2a
Articulating Fenestration: Respecting the architectural language and theme
The window solutions need to keep up with the architectural vocabulary and theme of the project, as windows are an important fenestration module. The building façade has to gel with the theme of the building design, giving the building an architectural character through its architectural vocabulary depending on the form of the building, the Fig 2b
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fenestration can be articulated to linear or horizontal or natural forms emulating natural elements (fig 3&4), by deploying sophisticated digital architectural techniques, as presented in this case wherein the façade is also the structural skin of the building thereby giving clear spans in the interior space to make it extremely flexible and free of structural columns.
Accentuating Scale and creating openness
The window as a module plays an integral role in creating the visual impressions. They can accentuate the scale horizontally and vertically. Smaller spaces if adorned with long double heighted windows can give a feeling of scale to the same space (fig.5). On the other hand strip windows can be used to accentuate the length of built form (fig. 6).
Fig 6 Fig 3 & 4
Modular Planning :
A modular planning can also develop an interesting façade design, vis-à-vis using a stone panel grid to create a façade elevation with discreetly positioned windows. Cladding with various alternate materials can be used to create a visual and functional treat (fig.7).
Fig 7
Fig 5
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Planning for Disaster :
Safety considerations are of utmost importance and can’t be overlooked for other details. Disaster situations like fire, earthquake, terrorist attack, suicide, etc need be planned for and behavioral patterns need to be understood. Particularly for public buildings hospitals, hotel auditoriums, convention centers, commercial spaces etc.
Windows have to be designed for fire safety and seismic tolerances. Testing should be done before approval ensuring the window or façade component shall withstand all the natural or manmade disasters. Apart from above, basic safety concerns like raising the sill height to prevent accidental falls and ensuring the right opening and closing when required, having restrictors to prevent banging and breaking of glass are some of the other lesser but significant factors to be considered when conceptualizing the window elements for a building or a facade system.
few which holds the fancy of most of us and makes the list of key factors influencing the fenestration design and selection of solution henceforth. We believe if planned right, understanding the specific needs of a particular project, any façade or fenestration can be executed right. In conclusion I would urge and request to the fraternity to think sensitively and practically while selecting, integrating and installing façade and window solutions to create a better future…. The author can be contacted on rahul.k@edifice.co.in
Responding to Human senses :
The window has a direct relationship with the sense of Sight and smell. Many sensitively designed projects have demonstrated that if windows are well planned and positioned they can positively respond to human sensibilities. For instance framing views articulately in hospital windows can add a lot of warmth and character to the space (Fig. 8). This in many ways reduces the psychological feeling that one is sick and helps respond to the circadian rhythm in tropical countries, as people in the tropics are physiologically designed to see/ live with sun light.
Few snapshots of the author presenting at Zak World of Windows, Pune
Fig 8
Maintenance:
A complete topic in itself, suitable maintenance considerations need to be undertaken while selecting and designing a window solution for a given project. As this has a direct relationship with the cost of ownership. While there are endless means by which an architect articulates the building fenestration, above are the | NOV-DEC 2013 WFM 29 |
Rise & Rise of Glass Wall Systems As the face of Indian skyline changed in the past decade, one name that shines bright and stands apart, as the name itself suggests is the Glass Wall Systems. WFM got an opportunity to have an interesting chat with Kamlesh Choudhari & Jawahar Hemrajani – Directors of Glass Wall Systems who gave a candid insight to the rise and rise of the phenomenon called Glass Wall Systems Please shed some light on the emergence of Glass Wall Systems?
Kamlesh Choudhari (L) and Jawahar Hemrajani (R)
Radisson Hotel, Mumbai
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Glass Wall started in the year 2000. That time, the industry was still in its infancy and there was no encouragement for usage of aluminium products. wood was the most preferred fenestration material at that time. In those days, aluminium was not seen as a viable substitute, it was looked down on as not very strong and sturdy material. It was considered as a thin material which would not have the required strength. Slowly the industry grew, there was a big debate on advantages of aluminium and its usage, the developers started to accept aluminium, knowing the advantages aluminium doors and windows provide. And then there was one project after another and no looking back! (Smiles)
What would you deem as a turning point in the making of Glass Wall Systems as the prime league Façade contracting company? The turning point in the whole situation came in 2002, when we executed Reliance Petroleum Headquarters in Navi-Mumbai. In those early days, imported glass, fully unitized systems, stone cladding, sun shades, frameless glazing, you name it and all was incorporated in that one project which was valued at INR 350 million in year 2002 – that was a big turning point not only for us, but for whole of the industry
Kohinoor Square Tower, Mumbai
“Sustainability to us means production, engineering and factory should be well equipped with all the latest CNC machines so that there is minimalistic errors” when new technology came in place. In those days, people used to work on site, cutting, drilling, fabrication everything was done at site. On the other hand, in this project, it was more factory-oriented, fully unitized panels were pre-fabricated and brought to site for installation. In this project, we could prove ourselves as a self-sustained, fully equipped façade engineering company as against a mere façade contracting firm. Then slowly we kept on growing ourselves – with more and more new innovative ideas, products – stone, glass, performing glass, unitized systems etc. What specific measures you took to prove your mettle? Our reputation was that we the promoters of this company came from an industrial background and not from a contracting background. We took this as an industry and not mere contracting. Here everything is engineered, made in factory and brought to site. The process is controlled. There’s no need to use any scaffolding outside the building which takes up a lot of ground area as with unitized system, installation is done from inside the building, and thus quality & safety is a much considered aspect at Glass Wall Systems.
We focused on retaining the repetitive customers. The market was growing and our customers grew too. The builders who were building 7 to 10 storey started building 20 storey buildings which boosted the high rise culture of Mumbai. The actual number of buildings remained same, but the volume grew enormously and Mumbai’s geography helped a lot. Since it’s surrounded by water on all the three sides, there is not much scope but to grow vertically. Challenges kept on coming and we kept on performing. Our engineering was impeccable. Delivery became our USP –“ok give it to Glasswall, the project will complete on time” this was often heard off! Project Antilia – How challenging was it for Glass Wall Systems? This project was a tremendous engineering challenge (it is built to withstand an earthquake of magnitude 8 on Richter scale with extra-high ceilings). We as Glass Wall could generate enough confidence in the client and the project was awarded to us. The successful completion of Antilia was a great milestone and changed the whole scenario and put Glass Wall Systems on a different pedestal altogether. On one hand, we were doing
Lodha World One, Mumbai The tallest residential tower in the world
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engineering challenges and on other we were doing volumes with Rahejas, Indiabulls, HCC in various cities like Bangalore, Ahmedabad, and Kolkata. Everything fell in place brick-by-brick, step-by-step, from there to here and from here to here (pointing at the picture of Vasukamal building). Considering the current challenges faced by the industry at large, how do you gear yourself and your company to withstand them and to keep on doing the best of the Projects in India? Challenges! (Sighs) there are big challenges, firstly because of geographical location, secondly, in the current development stage we are looking at the developed world and we want everything to come from there as fast as possible and as similar to what has been executed there. Engineering being the strong base of our company, we don’t find this as a complexity, we don’t think it’s too difficult if we have the concept right for the kind of façade executions that we are doing in our league. Every building is different with different structural and performance requirements. Wind loads in Delhi are not same to those in Mumbai. So if we have the correct engineering and proper planning, everything falls in place.
terms of specific requirements of client, we as a company try to give them value for money as per the specific need and not just copy some A, B, C European Company and bring it over here, it’s not like that. This is what differentiates us from others that we are not giving off the shelf solutions like most system companies and other companies do. We do customization for each project. The architect’s or client’s requirement is of prime importance and so is the market and budgetary consideration for each project. Do you ever outsource some job to some third party agency? We can’t do that. Control is out. See, we are going taller and taller every day. Earlier we were doing 180 meters now I am doing 416 meters. So from 180 to 416, if we don’t have people who know there job well, we can’t do a successful job. So, personnel skill is very important. And with
outsourcing I can’t be sure of that. So No. we don’t outsource any job. As we go up, how important is the functionality in window or façade? How do you make sure the openable component is up to the mark? Functionality is very important and hardware plays a very critical role in this. To give you an example, we are doing this world tower in Mumbai which as of now, till date is the tallest residential building in the whole world at 416 meters. When this building was awarded, the key challenge was a wind load of 4.75 kPa. When such a wind blows a person is parallel to the ground, you can’t stand on your feet. And at 4.75 kPa, you’ve got a sliding window. Nowhere in the world there is a window which has been tested for this kind of wind load. So when we went on board as the chosen company on this project, we did a lot of engineering, from procurement of the hardware – pre qualification of
Talking about immolating west, are we simply borrowing technology and products from there or doing some value engineering specific to our local requirements? Good thing about our industry and India in general is that we are flexible. We consider Indian engineering to be the best. In | 32 WFM NOV-DEC 2013 |
The Capital, Mumbai
the hardware companies from around the world was done, the best of hardware - rollers etc. were identified, aluminium structure was designed keeping in mind the static and dynamic loads. The heavy aluminium, glass – bi-laminated DGU and shutter size 2.7 meter x 1.3 meter resulted in the shutters weighing almost 250 – 300 kilos. And that has to be moved, in those wind loads it has to be moved, it was a big challenge. And we are very glad to say that our team could achieve that engineering, we tested those windows in an international laboratory in Dubai and for the 1st time in the world, the façade windows were tested for this kind of wind-load for this kind of performance. Air infiltration, water infiltration, hardware performance and everything was tested and achieved. So, what we feel is that if you have engineering right and the proper product, then everything falls right. So the key is precision engineering? And the correct product. We got wonderful support from our suppliers. So, with the right hardware, right technology and right product – everything falls in place and that too at an Indian price. The client is not paying in dollars. All we want to say is no feat is unachievable. You just have to identify the right place, right product, and right ways and everything can be done. How do you perceive sustainability with respect to our Industry? In this internet world, everything is available online. The real challenge is how you translate that technology as per your client’s requirement and satisfy them.
One Indiabulls Centre, Mumbai
Sustainability to us means production, engineering, factory should be well equipped with all the latest CNC machines so that there is less dependence and minimum errors, latest technology in production, faster curing of glazing panels, better logistics on the building to move the glazing panels on the project. All in all we need to continually improve and invest back into the industry, be it on resources, factory or logistics and that has been Glasswall’s mantra. We have been pumping in these investments back – from one factory to the next and then to the next. According to us having the best of Human resources – man power – that is our biggest strength, good factory and in-house processes vis-à-vis coating, fabrication etc. make us a sustainable organization. Having everything in-house makes us more flexible, we are able to shift priorities. The project viability is more. So the lesser dependence, the more sustainable one can be in this market.
have achieved an accelerated growth during the past decade. Where do you see yourself 5 years down the line? We started with a family of around 10-12 people. Today we are a strong family of more than 400 people – technical and administrative staff and more than 2000 worker staff. From there to here we see ourselves growing. We currently hold the leading market-share in the industry. We received consequently Façade & Fenestration Contractor of the year 2012 & 2013 by Construction Week. 5 years down the lane, it’s one of our wish to see ourselves as the 1st listed façade company of the country with a turnover of 1000 Cr as soon as possible. (They finish off with an Amen and a hearty laugh) They can be contacted at info@glasswallsystem.com
Glass Wall Systems is known to
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Energy Efficient Window System - Reality Check Under Indian Conditions The construction of buildings has evolved to newer heights in past few years, so has the awareness on conserving energy. With the Kyoto protocol signed so many years ago and increasing global awareness about climate change, even a school student is now aware of energy conservation. In any given building, its envelope is the main point of heat exchange. As much as 41% of energy might be lost from the fenestration depending on the window to wall ratio.
energy flow is higher. Until a few years ago not much importance was given to Fenestration and was mostly hidden behind the curtains. Today the fenestration area has come out of the curtain and is liked to be shown off. Aluminium is vastly chosen amongst available options and due to its strength, structural stability it provides and its ability to be coated in any colour or finish desired it surely is the most durable and aesthetic product. With the aluminum window systems companies operating in the Indian Market, there are plenty of solutions today for highrises, double height windows, minimal sight line windows, etc. and of course, you cannot have glass faรงade without aluminium framing behind it. But can aluminium windows be energy efficient? Can they improve acoustics? The Answer is yes. Alumimium windows with thermal break are highly energy efficient. If used with the proper combination of glass, they dampen the noise effect also.
Fig. 1 - IR Image showing loss of heat from the framing area
If we look at a picture of a house from a thermal camera (fig 1), you will notice that the brightest red lines, or where the heat is transferred most from, are the frames of the windows, yes, even more than the glass. Energy finds the weakest point between the walls, frames, and glass to pass from. It is apparent in the above thermal analysis, where the isothermal lines are very constant at the glass level, but there is more activity at the level of the frame where the | 34 WFM NOV-DEC 2013 |
A pertinent question is asked many times, does India with its tropical climate need thermally broken windows? On looking at the climatic data, one would say it does not. But a closer look at the reality may force us to change our minds. India is 6th largest energy consumer in the whole world. Today, in almost all the semi luxury apartments in the major Indian cities, and in all of the commercial buildings we find extensive use of air conditioners which constitutes a major portion of the total electricity consumed. The difference between inside and outside temperatures have risen and with it the need to create a thermal barrier between inside and outside to prevent the energy loss.
Let’s look at the thermographic image below (Fig. 2)
When we compare the 2 windows, non-thermal and thermally broken (with one window open to show the source of heat), using a thermal camera, we can see that with an external heat source of about 61 deg. And an inside temperature of about 19 deg., the surface temperature of the frame in a non-thermal window is about 30 deg. And in the case of a thermally broken frame, we have about 26 deg. For those of you who are Mechanical Engineers, I think you will appreciate the air conditioning power it takes to cool a room with 4 deg. Use of double glazing is now a necessity. In a scenario where double glazing is used in a non-thermally broken aluminium frame, there is always a possibility of energy loss in tune of 80%. So the energy saved by the double glazing is lost through the non-thermal frame. In ideal conditions, it is found that you save around 30-40% of energy by using thermally broken aluminium frames with double glazing units. Here is a comparison of 2 almost identical systems (Fig.3), one without thermal break and one with thermal break. You can see the difference in the internal temperature and the heat flow inside the frame. A typical non-thermally broken window will have a U(f)-value of over 6 W/m2K, while that of its thermally broken counterpart will come out to be around half. We also see the thermal lines where the glass is almost constant and the thermal action is mostly in the frame (Figure 4). You can see from the small movements in the frame that this is a very well
Fig. 3: IR Comparison between identical thermally broken and non-thermally broken systems
Fig. 4
isolated system. So this is saying that if we have a temperature of zero degrees outside and 20 deg. inside, the surface temperature of the frame is about 17 degrees, which is very good isolation. Thermal break aluminium profiles use an isolating strip made of Polyamide with 25% glass fibre in 3D structure to provide insulation. It is a thermo-plastic material which is 500 times less conductive than aluminium at the same time is structurally stable due to the glass fibre content. Figure 5 and 6 show the working of a typical thermally broken window and a curtain wall. The rate of expansion and contraction is similar to that of aluminium. So it acts as an integral unit without any risk of derailing. It is observed that as you increase the width of the insulation area and as you break them down into smaller chambers, the better insulation you get. | NOV-DEC 2013 WFM 35 |
There are many examples in the country using this system successfully like in the Hospitality Industry. Some examples are: Polyamide Strips as thermal break
Fig 5: Working of a typical thermally broken window
ITC Grand Chola (Chennai)
ITC Park Sheraton (Chennai)
Hotel Leela (Chennai and Goa)
Hotel TAJ GVK (Mumbai)
Hotel Crowne Plaza (Cochin)
Hotel Wyndham (Delhi)
Hotel City Park (Delhi)
Other most recent examples are All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Bhubaneshwar and 4 other cities currently under construction.
Fig.6 Thermally Broken façade
Even residential projects are not behind: DLF Magnolias in Gurgaon (Fig.9) was the one of the first residential projects to use a thermally broken aluminum window system. Many more residential projects like Pooja Constructions in Mumbai (a 17 storeyed building) is currently under execution. Therefore there is certainly a growth in awareness and need for these systems in India. The Government of India through its Bureau of Energy Efficiency has launched a programme for Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC), which involves the construction sector. The ECBC code was launched in 2006 with the implementation date of January 2014. As of now, it is already mandatory for the Central Government Projects to be ECBC compliant and various state governments are in the process of launching their own state ECBC codes
a a Fig 7: Basic (a) and Advance (b) level thermal break system in sliding window
| 36 WFM NOV-DEC 2013 |
b Fig 8: (a) shows good thermal break and (b) is an advanced level of thermal break in curtain wall
b
which are far more stringent. In the 12th five year plan (2012-2017) the target of Government of India is to have 75% of its new buildings to be ECBC compliant. In addition 25% of the existing buildings are to be retrofitted to be ECBC compliant. Currently Aluminum window systems companies like Kawneer, Reynaers, EFP, Ponzio, Profils Systemes, Article contributed by: Madhabendra Banerjee, General Manager, Technoform Bautec India mbanerjee@technoform.ae
Fig.9 – DLF Magnolias, Gurgaon
etc. are established in India and actively promoting thermally broken aluminum window systems. Indian Fabricators, such as AGV Alfab, Alamdar Fabricators, Thermaline, Durall, etc. have designed indigenous thermally broken window systems. Technoform Bautec, being the global leader in manufacturing of polyamide strips for thermal break aluminium profiles, is always at the disposal of system companies, façade & window manufacturers, developers, architects and government agencies to recommend and advise ways and means to conserve energy through thermally broken aluminium fenestration systems.
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Face to Face with Ajay Tenany
Ajay Tenany, Director, Reynaers India
Fig.1 - Apartment Xintiandi, China
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India has always embraced new technological advancements with open arms. With the advent of spurt in the growth of Indian construction industry in 2006-2007 many multinational companies forayed into India. One such Solution provider is Reynaers Aluminium. Headquartered in Duffel, Belgium, Reynaers Aluminium is represented in over 40 countries worldwide and is market leader for developing and selling innovative and sustainable aluminium systems for building sector. Reynaers Aluminium ensures its financial success by integrating social and environmental considerations into all its activities. WFM got a chance to interact with Ajay Tenany, who is the Director of Reynaers India and is responsible for sales, marketing and operations of the Indian subsidiary. He has a vast experience in building industry. He marketed interior application products like window coverings; blinds etc. and he had a brush with façade contracting business when he joined Alupro. He was the country sales manager for Assa Abloy before he took the reins of Reynaers operations in India.
How do you perceive Indian market as of now when it comes to windows and façade? As per the construction statistics – the opportunity seems to be very high. We are just touching the surface and there is a huge gap between the products being offered and what can be offered. The fenestration technology has come a long way, but what is being applied in majority of the projects is very basic. So the opportunity is there for us as system suppliers. For any company this opportunity lies in bridging the gap. If we can bridge this gap, we can churn numbers. As far as the economic cycle is concerned, there will be ups and downs. But opportunity will remain. None of us has touched the critical mass yet. So, for coming few years we have nothing to complain. The construction industry might grow at 12%. But you have a potential to grow at 25% How has Reynaers evolved in past 6 years of Indian existence? Any company that comes from abroad has a wait and watch policy for the initial years, they will first test the waters. We too
“Indian fenestration industry has a potential to grow at 25%” entered as a liaison office with all the challenges and limitations of being one. We were just a communicating channel for the Belgian office and Indian customers. Then we became private limited, so there was an obvious shift. Now we are thinking of local sourcing, so that the prices are optimized. These are the step by step developments that we are undertaking to penetrate the market. What’s your strategy to tap this untapped segment of the market? We follow a three pronged approach Firstly, from being a 100% imports driven entity we are now developing a few products suited to Indian environment, for Indian market that shall be locally sourced from here to cut down on the logistics cost and to penetrate the market better. Secondly, educating the prospect – if we don’t do that, it doesn’t lead anywhere. So, most of our effort goes into explaining the people. Whenever we go and
Fig. 2 - DLF Magnolias, Gurgaon
meet some developer or an architect, the initial resistance is too high, and then eventually they start opening up after a couple of interactions. They listen to what we have to say. The credit goes to my competitors too. Say, for example, if my competitor has gone to meet a client and I approach the same person later, he already has an idea and is more receptive to what I have to say. In a way we are shadow marketing each other. Thirdly, developing the Indian specific product after due diligence, which will happen in its own wake. Like I said earlier – none of us have achieved the critical mass and we are yet to arrive at a point where we start developing “India specific products”(Fig. 1) Please elaborate on “India Specific Product”
both can be incorporated. If you ask me, I can provide mesh. But grill? The point here is that any company that comes to India won’t do that investment in research and development right from day one. This happens when the market is growing for all of us and I think the time is very near that R & D shall start for India-specific products Which projects you would like to make special mention of that helped Reynaers reach its current position? There are three projects which are very close to me. DLF Magnolia – Over 25000 sq. meters of thermally broken lift and slide doors. We did this project with Star Alubuild. Reynaers windows were installed in the front of the houses – all living and bed rooms (Fig. 2)
Wadhwa’s Address project – Ghatkopar Mumbai – Over
Window where grill and mesh
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50000K sq. meters of Non Thermal break systems were installed vis-à-vis sliding, casement, louvers. We are doing this project with Doors & Doors Systems (India) Pvt. Ltd. Refurbishment of Leela Palace, Goa. Huge 2 track 4 shutter, thermally broken sliding doors were installed for the cottage styled rooms again with Doors and Doors (Fig. 3)
Apart from these there are many more. We did in Pune the first 100 meters building, God’s Blessings by ABIL (Fig. 4). There too we gave thermally broken solution. The fabricator in this project was Doors & Doors. What do you consider was the key to your successful pitch for the mass scale projects? How could you break the barrier and tap the developer segment, which is considered to be the price sensitive segment, being a system company? Esha I believe in one philosophy and I believe in it to the core– if I am not able to create a product differentiation and if I am not able to generate that confidence in the buyer, then why would he pay me more? So all my sales people are also imbibed in this theory that create a differentiation. If a customer asks you what’s the difference between x product and yours and you don’t know, there’s no way you’ll ever close the sale. You can meet him ten times, be very pally with him and all, but in the end you have to generate that confidence that he is paying more because he is getting more. The product comparison has to be there. Post that there will be many prospects who would accept the difference, not | 40 WFM NOV-DEC 2013 |
Fig. 3 - Hotel Leela, Goa
“We need to create product differentiation to generate confidence in the buyer” everyone will buy for the budgetary constraints but at least we are able to project what we offer. (Fig. 3 – DLF Magnolias, Gurgaon) Do you organize some awareness generation activities for your customers or fabricators? We do industry meet in different cities wherein we invite developers and architects. These programs are very helpful in understanding their need and explaining to them what we have to offer.
Fig. 4 - God’s Blessings, Pune
We also participate in trade shows like ZAK Glass Technology Expo organized by ZAK Trade fairs & Exhibitions. Here we meet lot of prospects and get an opportunity to showcase our products. Apart from these, we do regular training programs for our fabricators. And fortunately I have got fabricators who are also pro learning and every once in a while they visit Belgium as and when there are some new product launches or training activities. How many fabricators you have in India? In span of 6 years we’ve got over 10 fabricators scattered from north to south. We go slow and steady as we try to build relationships – I believe we have to invest a lot of time and knowledge to develop a fabricator. They have to understand the product. You just can’t assume that you have a product, they have a project and they can fabricate it. They have to feel for the product and understand its intricacies. You mentioned earlier that you source some profiles locally too. How does that work out? You give the system design and obtain the extrusions? We just started sourcing locally for few of our products from a well audited aluminium extruder who is able to meet our quality parameter. Other high end systems, profiles we source from Belgium.
Do you import coated profiles or in mill finish and get them treated here?
Few global projects of Reynaers
I exercise both the options. It is on case to case basis and as per the requirement of the client. However, my view is my client enters into the relationship with my product when he first visualizes it. When he enters a building, he first sees the finish of the profile, then he touches the handle, then he moves it. So if the visual appearance is not good, then he would feel why I spent so much. If we get certified good quality from here, we would prefer sourcing locally. We understand that local content is important for the long term sustainability.
Fig. 5 Ferrari World, Abu Dhabi
What’s your take on the latest Trends? The modern trend is the use of minimalistic system and use of energy efficient systems. Reynaers has product lines that cater to the above. Where do you see Reynaers India in next 5 years? I definitely see Reynaers as a well established brand over the coming years. With the brand image comes a lot of responsibility and I am confident that we would be able to fulfill those responsibilities.
Fig. 6 Mediacite, Belgium
Ajay Tenany can be contacted at ajay.tenany@reynaers.com
Do you have a warehouse? Yes, we have a warehouse in Pune. | 42 WFM NOV-DEC 2013 |
Fig. 7 Estoril, Portugal
Indian Surface Finish Scenario & Understanding the Role of Qualindal
1st General Body Meet of Qualindal India is approaching a fast lane growth in construction sector in which huge role is played by architectural aluminium. More than 5000 coaters/anodizers cater to the surface finish requirements of the architectural aluminium To understand the current situation, let’s consider the involved parties:
Architects/Specifiers/Owners Applicators Coating Manufacturers
An architect or building owner expects a building built to specification at an agreed price and delivered at the agreed time i.e. Coatings to look good protect the investment and last as long as possible, while an applicator’s | 44 WFM NOV-DEC 2013 |
endeavor is to coat and deliver parts at the agreed price and time, making maximum use of their facilities. The coating manufacturer at the same time strives to supply coatings to the applicator which will be applied to an agreed specification and give desired performance as well as customer satisfaction.
How does Qualicoat help?
The big question is “DO ALL THE EXPECTATIONS MATCH?”
The current situation in many ways is a compromise. Lack of specifications and standard practices result in a huge gap between productivity and performance.
QUALICOAT is a global quality label organization formed in 1986 as a not for profit association to raise and standardize the level of quality, laying down rules applying to aluminium coating industry. Since then it is pioneer in labeling
Qualicoat has laid down certain specifications which cover the complete range of pre-requisites for rendering a perfect coating vis-à-vis
The Coating System Surface Preparation Environmental Conditions Drying/curing/over-coating Times Inspection Requirements
MISSION AND GOALS To provide best practice rules to obtain a good quality coating on aluminium Establishing specifications for processes, products and tests to be used by the coating plants. Developing and improving these specifications. Granting licenses to coating plants that apply for the quality label. Testing and approving chemicals and coating products to be used.
Monitoring the correct application of the specifications in licensed plants.
OBJECTIVES OF QUALINDAL To establish and maintain quality labels, to secure the proprietary rights therein in India and to assume the management of same. To sign license agreements with applicators. To ensure that such agreements function properly and are harmonized in India. To harmonize the methods and processes used in the paint and coating industry, this may include the creation of a standard. To disseminate and promote these technologies.
Qualindal held its general body meeting on 31st of October in hotel Orchid, Mumbai where 35 pre-registered members met and discussed about the developmental activities and planned the initiatives to be taken for the Indian market for the coming calendar year. This meeting marked the official launch of QUALINDAL with selection of a 12 member Executive committee and a 6 member technical member. Further in its Endeavour to generate awareness about importance of standardization and quality for surface finish, Qualindal shall be a key participating member in QUALICOAT Zak Aluminium Surface Finish Symposium on 12th December 2013 at MMRDA Exhibition Complex, Mumbai.
ALUMINIUM EXTRUSIONS
presents
Symposium
3rd International Conference on Surface Finishing for Aluminium
12th December 2013 MMRDA EXHIBITION CENTRE, BKC, MUMBAI
Symposium Background Aluminum is unique when it comes to a combination of characteristics such as its superior weight to strength ratio, flexibility while being durable, corrosive resistant and, most importantly, it’s hundred percent recyclable, thereby possesses the qualities of a green material. Hence coating for Aluminium becomes very important due to its wide usage.The 3rd Zak Aluminium Surface Finish Symposium will provide a knowledge platform on the global best practices in coating on aluminium extruded profiles. This symposium will help the applicators to find out how to apply the best practices to do more with less, increase efficiency and reduce the environmental impact of major projects. Partners
ACTIVITIES OF QUALINDAL
EXPO 2013
and standardization of architectural aluminium surface finish and is represented in more than 30 countries through General Licensees. For Indian subcontinent QUALINDAL shall take the responsibility of General Licensee
Key attractions :
Introduction of quality labels – Qualicoat, Qualanod, Qualisteelcoat and Qualideco.
In depth interactive workshops on pre surface treatment systems
Workshops on coating technologies – Innovation and right application
Roadmap for Quality: An engaging group discussion with panel representation from leading Architect, Developer, Installer, Coater and Supplier.
Industry Joins Hands To Form Indian Facade And Fenestration Association (IFFA) Indian Façade and Fenestration Association is a first of its kind association formed by façade & fenestration industry leaders for self-regulation and upgradation of standards and best practices. Unlike any other association, IFFA is a Section-25 company, as per the Indian Companies Act, with Directors and a Managing Committee. The founders of the Association are DIpak Das, Dev Chandwani, Syed Zakir Ahmed and Satish Kumar, with active support from Selvam Ramanathan had an election conducted online by an international firm to select the 9 members of the Managing Committee, wherein the members were elected by nearly 100 leading fabricators from across India in June 2013. The founders have vast experience in sales, marketing, distribution, design, fabrication, installation and project execution of doors, windows and facades. Since the election, various committees have been formed and interaction with various stakeholders has been initiated. The Managing Committee comprises of the who’s who in the Indian Façade and Fenestration Industry – Aluplex, Alufit, Alkarma, Alumayer, Chiniwalas, Geotrix, Glass Wall Systems, Kalco, Neel Enterprises and Yantra Systems. IFFA strives to initiate | 46 WFM NOV-DEC 2013 |
advancement of technology in the Facades and fenestration and related services by focusing on, Developing a façade standards guideline for Indian Façade and Fenestration industry by adopting the best feasible standards from the existing Indian and International Standards.
Legislate the guideline by engaging governmental bodies and publish the same for public use.
Introduce quality audits and control system within the guideline to empower the final users with transparent process, which can eliminate and weed out sub-standard systems from the industry.
To develop skill development and education plan for members and other interested persons in the said science through lectures, workshops, product presentations, periodic publications.
To encourage scientific research and test labs in this field.
To plan and execute training of trainers.
Held discussion with façade industry supply chain stake holders, like extrusion manufacturers and glass manufactures to enlighten and support the IFFA initiative by providing the best standards which can be followed by them and in turn by the Façade contractors. With a long road map a head IFFA is striving as a team to deliver the best possible systems to the industry.
Near future events until year end :
Engaging selected façade consultants firm in India as advisory team to IFFA and seeking their expertise to endorse the IFFA Guideline. Meeting other stake holders in the façade supply chain and engaging them to participate with best standards and advise to IFFA. Review of 1st draft of the IFFA Guideline.
Our Progress: Conducted seminars around India to bring all IFFA initiative to public. Taking feedback from the public and industry stalwarts which were seriously taken up to IFFA guideline.
November 2013:
December 2013:
Launching the IFFA-Guideline 1st draft to public in Zak Doors and Windows expo in Mumbai on 14th December We will continue building for the betterment of Indian Façade and Fenestration industry.
Indian Façade and Fenestration Association Indian Façade and Fenestration Association (IFFA) is a section 25 registered company founded to be a non-profit association of façade and fenestration products/services companies to work towards; Being a self-regulatory body to establish best construction practices pertaining to façade and fenestration Being an association for the façade and fenestration community driven by the community itself Adopting the best suitable & available standards, and self-regulate the fraternity Bringing along the façade and window contractors, consultants, suppliers and interested parties to a common platform Impairing knowledge to share the advancement of technology in the façade, fenestration and related services Continuing education of members and other interested persons in the said science through lectures, workshops, product presentations and periodic publications Rendition, career guidance and financial assistance to students interested in this field Encouraging scientific research and test labs / centres in this field.
Founder Directors
Dev Chandwani
Dipak Das
Fig1 - Apartment Xintiandi, China
Satish Kumar
Syed Zakir Ahmed
w w w. i ffa . i n
Management Committee – Facade & Windows
Indranil Debnath Partner Neel Enterprises
Pankaj Keswani
Managing Director Alufit India
Jawahar Hemrajani
Milind Malve
Director Glass Wall Systems
Managing Director Alumayer India
Ravi Panjwani
Sandeep Choudhary
Managing Director Yantra Aluminium
Partner Al Karma
Navin Keswani
Neeraj Singhal
Chairman & MD Aluplex India
Chairman & MD Karshini Aluminium
Selvam R
Taher Chiniwala
CEO & Director Geotrix Building Envelope
Chairman Chiniwalas
| NOV-DEC 2013 WFM 47 |
WORLD OF FAçADES
Indian façade industry’s power show at Chennai 14th June Chennai: The 5th Zak World Of Facades completes successfully in Chennai with a turnout of 320 delegates. The key highlight was the launch of the Indian Façade & Fenestration Association (IFFA) and Qualindal.
the building’s aesthetic, complementing the structural form and defining its visual impact on the urban environment. In India, we still miss the fundamentals of the façade, which is a complex subject for most of us.
The building façade plays a vital role in bringing the architect's vision to life. It makes a major contribution to the sustainability of a building, influencing both energy efficiency and the quality of the internal climate. It is also an integral part of
The 5th edition of Zak World of Façades held on the 14th of June at Taj Coromandel in Chennai focused on the performance & functional aspects of a façade. While the previous edition in Mumbai focused on the issues of the industry, this
| 48 WFM NOV-DEC 2013 |
CN Raghavendran, CRN Associates
edition tried to give solutions to those issues. One such solution proposed was the need for a self-regulatory body of the industry. The Indian Façade & Fenestration Association (IFFA) was launched to streamline the current working affairs of the industry. About 320 representatives from architects, builders, façade consultants, contractors and other delegates from the façade & fenestration fraternity were present throughout the four-sectioned full day program. Each section was divided into different themes. The first session on design & testing commenced by a presentation on “The art of deigning a façade” by Padmashri CN Raghavendran from CRN Associates. Presenting next was Simon Chin from Winwall Technology who stressed upon “The need for a façade performance test”. The session ended with an interactive group discussion moderated by Dev Chandwani from Innovators Façade Systems on “Best design practices for façades” which included panelists Ar Oscar Concessao from OCI Architects, Nitin Bhatia from Facet Construction Engineering, Ramesh Kumar from Noble Consolidated Glazings & Simon Chin from Winwall. The second session on performance & functionality of façades which began with Ar Varun Kolhi from Merge Studios, New York presenting on “High performance façades” with a case study of the Karle Town SEZ building in Bangalore. KR Suresh from Axis Façades spoke next on “High
for façades” to be followed by Satish Kumar from Elumatec on “Automation & optimization of façade production”
Navin Keswani, Aluplex
performing materials for façades” which was followed by a presentation on “Quality installations using cast-in-anchor channels” by Suman Dhas from Halfen India. The session ended with a panel discussion on “The art of building a high performance façade” moderated by Selvam R from Geotrix. Key issues such as how to make the façade fireproof, soundproof, energy efficient & green were discussed. Apart from the above speakers, the other panelists included Sthaladipti Saha from Larsen & Toubro ECC, Afzal Contractor from GE Silicones, Pankaj Keswani from Alufit & Naren Kumar from Saint-Gobain Glass. The third session on was on value additions for façades started with Anil Agarwal from Global Aluminium presenting on “High precision aluminium profiles” to be followed by Alex Dantziguian from Technoform speaking on “Thermal efficiency for façades through thermal break solutions”. Next to present was Graziano D’Mello from Lavaal on “European hardware
The penultimate panel discussion on “High performance aluminium windows” communicated about the functional aspects, green rating & role of glass in windows. Moderated by Satish Kumar, the panelist included Ar K Balasubramaniam from CRN Associates, Prakash Kumar from ITC Hotels, Faizer Ali Dastagir from Bhari Metals, Ashok Jain from Fuso Glass & Rahul Aggarwal from Agarvanshi Aluminium. The final session started off with a breathtaking presentation by Ar Manit Rastogi on “Integrated façade design - façade as an environment filter” followed by the launch of QUALINDAL, which is the general licensee of QUALICOAT – The world’s leading quality label certification for aluminium surface finish. The concluding panel discussion moderated by Selvam R from
Ar Manit Rastogi, Morphogenesis
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Panel Discussion - 1
Panel Discussion - 2
Panel Discussion - 3
Panel Discussion - 4
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Geotrix comprised of the most senior and well-respected individuals from the Indian construction fraternity. Padmashri CN Raghavendran, Partner, CRN Associates; MV Satish, Executive Vice President, Larsen & Toubro ECC; BVM Sarma, Vice President & Head – Infrastructure, Tata Consultancy Services, Mahesh Arumugam, Director Meinhardt Façade & Jawahar Hemrajani, Director, Glass Wall Systems deliberated on the current state of affairs of the Indian façade industry. This panel discussion was an eye opener for the industry as it emphasized on the change that needs to be done in the industry right from the most powerful voices of India’s biggest infrastructure giants Larsen & Toubro and India’s biggest IT giants Tata Consultancy Services. The exhibition display showcased 12 exclusive engineering components for façades, which included aluminium extrusions from Agarvanshi Aluminium & Global Aluminium, cast-in-anchor channels from Halfen, glazing tapes from Pentagon, hardware from Cotswold & Lavaal, sealant from GE Silicones, ventilated cladding from Frontek, testing equipment from Ozone-EDTM, thermal break solutions from Technoform Bautec and aluminium processing machines from Elumatec. Glass Wall Systems showcased their solutions for façade engineering. This edition of Zak World of Fçades will be a an significant day to remember as many key deliberations on critical subjects that
have never been examined before in public were confidently addressed by one and all to ensure that bloopers do not occur during the faรงade execution time. Visit www.zakworldoffacades.com for presentations, videos & more. Anil Agarwal, Global Aluminium
KR Suresh, Axis Faรงades
Simon Chin, Win Wall
Ar Varun Kohli, Merge Studios
Ar Oscar Concessao, OCI Architects
Alex Dantziguian, Technoform
A section of the audience
| NOV-DEC 2013 WFM 51 |
Bangalore’s rendezvous with Windows
Ravindra Kumar, VA Group 5th July, Bangalore : The 1st ever conference exclusively focusing on windows was recently concluded in Bangalore with a record turnout of 300 delegates from architect, developer, window contractor fraternity. Windows are in integral part of timeless architecture, crucial in enhancing the functionality of the buildings. A typical fenestration component suffices the basic requirements of light and ventilation, but along the way faces the challenges of heat/sound and air/water ingress. The 1st edition of Zak World of Windows aimed at proper understanding of fenestration and addressed the issues like design and application challenges,
| 52 WFM NOV-DEC 2013 |
measuring the performance of windows and doors and their affectivity in bringing life to the interior spaces. The intriguing session of presentations and discussion started at 7 in the evening and lasted till well after 11 PM. About 310 representatives from architects, developers, specifiers, contractors and other delegates from the façade & fenestration fraternity were present throughout the evening of information and networking which ended well after midnight. The session commenced with an eye opening presentation by Ar. Ravindra Kumar, Director – Design, Venkataramanan Associates on Sustainable Windows. Presenting next was Farid Khan, CEO, Profine India who explained the challenges in uPVC windows and its role in efficient fenestration. Amit Malhotra, Managing Director, Mccoy Soudal presented on perfectly insulated & installed windows to be followed by Tiago Antunes, Director – Technical, Alualpha on the importance of hardware in achieving functionality in windows. The end of evening witnessed a
thrilling discussion on the functional and practical challenges faced by the industry. The panelists, Manjunath Prasad, COO, Brigade Group; Tapan Mozumdar, Divisional Manager – ITC; PV Varghese, CEO, Sobha Glazing; Deepak Malik, CEO, ABC Glass and Philip Coulin, India Head, Roto Frank Asia Pacific along with the distinguished speakers – Ravindra Kumar & Farid Khan, discussed and debated on various issues and solutions thereof. The moderators Amit Malhotra and Deepak Chugh, Director, LGF Sysmac efficiently steered and directed the course of panel discussion and helped in arriving at a much sought after conclusion. The panel discussion was an eye opener for the fenestration Industry
Farid Khan, Profine Group
Tiago Antunes, Alualpha
A section of the audience as various key issues were brought on to the table and discussed with an open mind. The points about standardization and striving for what is required and not for what is fancy and fashionable were emphasized by the most powerful voices in the panel and audience. The exhibition display showcased 5 exclusive engineering components for fenestration, which included uPVC Profile systems from Koemmerling, range of fittings and hardware from Roto Frank and Alualpha represented by LGF Sysmac. Dry glazing tapes from Tesa and a range of sealants and PU Foams from McCoy Soudal were also displayed. This edition of Zak World of Windows shall remain remarkable as one of the firsts to bring to forefront the never before discussions and debates bringing the quality and technology in window innovations. The discussion will now move to other parts of
India, where some more of such issues on the window technology and innovations shall be discussed and debated and representatives from the architecture, developer and other key stakeholders shall be invited. Visit www.zakworldofwindows.com for presentations, videos & more.
Panel Discussion
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WORLD OF FAçADES
New Delhi ‘s first exclusive conference on facade design & engineering witnessed a record turnout of 427 delegates representatives from architects, builders, façade consultants, contractors and other delegates from the façade & fenestration fraternity were present throughout the four-sessioned full day program. Each session revolved round different themes.
PV Somasundaram, Alucobond 30th August, New Delhi : The 6th Zak World of Façades completes successfully in Delhi with a turnout of 427 delegates. The key highlight was the resolution on the selection criteria for equivalent materials and consultants for a façade The 6th edition of Zak World of Façades held on the 30th of August at Taj Palace in New Delhi focused on the performance & functional aspects of a façade. About 427
| 54 WFM NOV-DEC 2013 |
The first session on design & testing commenced by a presentation on “Inspiration for designing a façade” by KR Suresh, Regional Director, Axis Façades. Presenting next was Sandy Dweik, VP, Thomas Bell-Wright consultants who spoke on “Fire rated glazing tests”. Next to present was Chandrashekhar from Fundermax who enlightened upon energy efficient façades using alternate materials such as high pressure laminates. PV Somasundaram from Alucobond spoke on fire rated composite panels. The session ended with an interactive group discussion moderated by Dev Chandwani from Innovators Façade Systems on
“Conceiving a healthy façade project” which included panelists Ar Rahul Kumar Principal, Rajinder Kumar Associates, Mahesh Arumugam, Director, Meinhardt Façade Consultants, Kamlesh Choudhari, Director, Glasswall Systems, Mohit Kanwar, Associate Director, Colliers, Vasudevan D, CEO, Chintels & Sandy Dweik, VP, Thomas Bell-Wright. The second session began with Ar Gopinath Atalkotkar from Stantec
Selvam R, Geotrix
Consulting, presenting on “Innovative expressions in Curtain Wall Systems”. Sakshi Jain from AECOM spoke on “Façade Odyssey: towards a high performance façade solutions” which was followed by a presentation on “achieving thermal efficiency using thermal break solutions” by Madhabendra Banerjee from Technoform Bautec. Suman Dhas from Halfen explained about the “Safer façade connections”. The session ended with a panel discussion on “Efficient Façade System” moderated by Amit Malhotra, from McCoy Soudal. Key issues such daylighting, glare, fire-safety, structural and seismic considerations were discussed. The panelists included Sandeep Chowdhry, Partner, Alkarma, Ar Raman Sikka, Associate Principal, Sikka & Associates, Sharanjit Singh, Chariman, GSC Glass, KR Suresh, from Axis Façade & Kangkan Chakraborty, President, Vatika Group. The third session went beyond energy efficiency and focused on innovation, functionality and production technology. It started with Ashit Kansara from Kawneer talking about innovation in aluminium systems for façade. It was followed by Adrian Vicker from Siegenia Aubi speaking on “high
is the general licensee of QUALICOAT – The world’s leading quality label certification for aluminium surface finish, followed by Tarek Bassil from GE Sealants apprising the audience about "next generation structural sealants"
Ar Gopinath Akalkotkar, Burt Hill end European hardware for curtain wall and windows”. Next to present was Anil Agarwal from Global Aluminium on “High precision profiles for curtain walls” followed by Satish Kumar from Elumatec on “Automation & optimization of façade production”. These were followed by yet another thrilling panel discussion on “Façade for Hospitality and Residences” identifying the different materials for and integrating the façade and windows. Moderated by Satish Kumar, the panelist included Deepak Gupta, Director, Dema Consulting, Mayank Bhatnagar, AVP, IREO, Salil Khare, Project Director, Archetype, Alok Kumar, Chief Architect, DLF & Rahul Aggarwal, ED, Agarvanshi Aluminium. The final session started off with an introduction to QUALINDAL, which
The concluding panel discussion moderated by Selvam R from Geotrix & Dev Chandwani from Innovators Façade comprised of some of the stalwarts from Indian construction Industry. Arun Sahai, Executive Director, Ahluwalia Contracts, SS Bhowmick, Executive Vice President, Unitech Limited, Rajiv Mahajan, Senior Vice President & Director – Infrastructure, HCL Technologies, Romi Malhotra, Managing Director, Star Alubuild & Jawahar Hemrajani, Director, Glass Wall Systems deliberated and zeroed down on some key Façade
Ar Rahul Kumar, RK Associates
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Guidelines. This panel discussion was an eye opener for the industry as it emphasized on the change that needs to be done in the industry right from selecting the right materials and consultants for the façade.
Panel Discussion - 1
Panel Discussion - 2
Panel Discussion - 3
The exhibition display showcased 14 exclusive engineering components for façades, which included aluminium extrusions from Agarvanshi Aluminium & Global Aluminium, cast-in-anchor channels from Halfen, glazing tapes from Pentagon, hardware from Siegenia Aubi & Dr. Hahn, sealants from GE Silicones & McCoy Soudal, high pressure laminates from Fundermax, aluminium composite panels by Alucobond, thermal break solutions from Technoform Bautec, aluminium systems from Kawneer, high performance glass from Modiguard and aluminium processing machines from Elumatec. Glass Wall Systems showcased their solutions for façade engineering and Clean India Group showcased their solutions for BMU & Façade maintenance. This edition of Zak World of Façades will be a an significant day to remember as many key deliberations on critical subjects that have never been examined before in public were confidently addressed by one and all. Visit www.zakworldoffacades.com for presentations, videos & more.
Panel Discussion - 4
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The next series of Zak World of Façades will take place in February 2014 at Bengaluru.
Sakshi Jain, AECOM
Tarek Bassil, GE Sealants
Ghazi Al-Hammal, Belgium Aluminium
Tarun Khemlani, Clean India
Ashit Kansara, Kawneer
Sandy Dweik, Thomas Bell-Wright
Satish Kumar, Elumatec
A section of the audience
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Pune’s building elite come together for a tryst with fenestration
Rahul Kadam, Edifice 20th September, Pune : After the 1st highly successful edition in Bangalore, Zak World of Windows conference moved to Pune and rendered another success story where close to 250 delegates from architect, developer, window contractor fraternity attended and witnessed the enlightening presentations and thrilling panel discussion. Windows are in integral part of timeless architecture, crucial in enhancing the functionality of the buildings. A typical fenestration component suffices the basic requirements of light and ventilation, but along the way faces the challenges of heat/sound and air/water ingress.
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The 2nd edition of Zak world of Windows aimed at Design complementing functionality; Security requirements for mechanical burglar resistance; Possibilities and limitations of window ventilation; Modernization v/s cost effectiveness; Safety, security, sound, solar & savings; Installation – the missing link. The intriguing session of presentations and discussion started at 7 in the evening and lasted till well after 11 PM. About 250 representatives from architects, developers, specifiers, contractors and other delegates from the façade & fenestration fraternity were present throughout the evening of information and networking which ended well after midnight. The session commenced with an introduction of uPVC windows by Farid Khan, CEO, Profine India. Next was an eye opening presentation by Ar. Rahul Ajit Kadam, Director – Pune Region, Edifice Design Consultants on Design Considerations for designing Windows in a building. Presenting next was Herat Mehta, CEO, Geeta
Alsysco who took the audience through a step by step repertoire from sourcing to installation. Amit Malhotra, Managing Director, Mccoy Soudal presented on perfectly insulated & installed windows to be followed by Arijit Bhattacharya, National Head, LGF Sysmac who deliberated on finer nuances of deciding correct equipment for a window plant. The end of evening witnessed an exciting group discussion on the functional and practical challenges faced by the industry. The panelists, Abhishek Kumar, VP – Design & Development, ABIL Group; Rahul Sathe, Director, CCBA; Harmeet
Herat Mehta, Geeta Group
Singh, Director, Global Faรงade Solutions; Taher Chiniwala, Chairman, Chiniwalas and Tariq Kachwala, Director, FG Glass along with Nitin Jadhav of Profine, discussed and debated on various issues and solutions thereof. The moderators Amit Malhotra and Deepak Chugh, Director, LGF Sysmac efficiently steered and directed the course of panel discussion and helped in arriving at a much sought after conclusion. The panel discussion highlighted the seriousness with which the window component in a building is being considered and the various key issues and solutions thereof were brought on to the table and discussed with an open mind. The points about standardization and striving for what is required and not for what is fancy and fashionable were emphasized by the most powerful voices in the panel and audience.
bring to forefront the never before discussions and debates bringing the quality and technology in window innovations. The discussion will now move to other parts of India, where some more of such issues on the window technology and innovations shall be discussed and debated and representatives from the architecture, developer and other key stakeholders shall be invited.
Arijit Bhattacharya, LGF Sysmac
Visit www.zakworldofwindows.com for presentations, videos & more.
Amit Malhotra & Deepak Chugh
The exhibition display showcased exclusive engineering components for fenestration, which included uPVC Profile systems from Koemmerling, machinery solutions from LGF Sysmac, high precesion aluminium profiles and window systems from Geeta Alsysco and S. V. Aluext, range of fittings and hardware from Kin Long, Dry glazing tapes from Tesa and a range of sealants and PU Foams from McCoy Soudal were also displayed. This edition of ZAK World of Windows continues to be remarkable as one of the firsts to
Panel Discussion
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Bhoruka Extrusions Private Limited On March 01, 2013, YKK Holding Asia Pte. Ltd. (member of YKK Group) had entered into a formal agreement with Bhoruka Aluminium Limited (“BAL”) for transfer of its aluminium extrusion business. This transaction was subsequently completed on 31st May 2013, pursuant to which the entire aluminium extrusion division of BAL along with all existing employees was transferred to a newly formed entity, Bhoruka Facades Pvt Ltd (“BFPL), which is now part of the YKK group.
Buzz
YKK is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of fastening products and also architectural products that include aluminium windows, doors, railings and many other innovative products for various sectors. The group has presence in 71 countries across the globe via 109 affiliated companies and is driven by a dedicated workforce of 39,000 employees. The YKK Philosophy:Cycle of Goodness
YKK’s philosophy is the Cycle of Goodness – “No one prospers unless he renders benefit to others” and it fully embodies this in each and every activity. It undertakes to seek corporate value of higher significance by
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YKK Group Management Principle: Seeking Corporate Value of Higher Significance
building trust, transparency and respect for all our stakeholders and the society at large. In our continuing endeavor to serve our customers better, we have changed the name of the company to Bhoruka Extrusions Pvt Ltd (“BEPL”), effective 15th October 2013. Our production system features products developed to precisely meet market needs, ensure manufacturing to consistent standards, and delivers a level of quality trusted around the world. The YKK AP brand aims to increase the value of buildings by providing entrance and window systems that are unique, offer quality and diversity, based on the wide-ranging know-how accumulated from major projects around the world. Our customers know they can rely on YKK AP for top-quality manufacturing. Quality is the main focus point of YKK AP products. Commitment to quality is the backbone of our business philosophy.
YKK AP will utilize the production facility and sales channel which Bhoruka has built in the past 30 years, while at the same time draw high synergistic effect by uniting products, technical capabilities, and global practices of YKK AP, which will help improve operational efficiency with increased capacity utilization. Our goal is to be a truly international company that develops high-quality products within each country's climate and culture, aimed at mutual progress. We will work together with developers, architects, consultants, and other influencers to understand the requirements and bring in products suited to help improve the living environment in India. For more information about YKK AP, please visit http://www.ykkap.co.jp/company/ english/
WINDOWS
ALUMINIUM EXTRUSIONS
EXPO 2013
DOORS &
EXPO 2013
GLASS TECHNOLOGY
EXPO 2013
Bhoruka plays a major role in the aluminum extrusion industry in India, highly regarded as the industry leader with technology and quality assurance. With integrated infrastructure (casting, extrusion, die manufacturing, anodizing and powder coating) under one roof, strong relationship with global system houses, MNC clients and Government/PSU, the collaboration of YKK AP and Bhoruka brings diverse range of opportunities.
12-15th December 2013, MMRDA Exhibition Center, BKC, Mumbai. Zak’s 2013 exhibition to showcase new technology in glass, fenestrations and aluminium extrusions
Will demonstrate product innova tions and applications in glass
Will bring out the latest designs and aesthetics in the façade/ fenestration industry
Highlighting aluminium extrusions usage across a wide range of industries
Mumbai, 10 October 2013: The most trusted companies from across the world in glass technology, façade & fenestration and aluminium extrusions will come together once again at India’s leading building envelope solutions expo in Mumbai. The expo is scheduled from 12th to 15th December 2013, at MMRDA Exhibition Center, Mumbai. The exposition will bring together all stakeholders in building design and construction, including manufacturers, architects, interior designers, builders & developers, raw material and auxiliary products & service providers and other user industries, and provide applications to the innovations in building design, aesthetics and construction. The demand for enhanced quality of
finish and aesthetics is driving innovation in building construction for both commercial and residential use. The building envelope plays the major & key role in defining the aesthetics of a building. The Zak exposition will comprise of 3 expos of inter-related products namely Zak Glass Technology Expo, the 11th international trade fair on glass products, production, processing and technology to redefine the way we look at glass for construction. The Federation of Safety Glass (FOSG) presents this edition, which is India’s premier association on Glass & Glazing. Zak Doors & Windows Expo, the 10th international trade fair for doors, windows & facades showcases solutions for the Indian façade & fenestration industry with new solutions and ideas. Zak Aluminium Extrusions Expo, the 5th international trade fair on aluminium extrusions, technologies, applications and products will cater to user industries across aviation, defence, transportation, apart from building and construction sector. Agarvanshi Aluminium is the associate partner of this edition. “For companies seeking to bring knowledge and awareness of new technologies and solutions to the industry, these expos will facilitate their objective and allow for a cross
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section of dialogue and information sharing through the allied activities that will take place,” said Mr. Syed Ahad Ahmed, Director, Zak Group who is the organizer of this niche event. He added, “Despite the Indian economy being on the slower side this year, manufactures have still invested in showcasing their technologies as the coming years looks bright for the industry. Many new exhibitors from Europe, Turkey & China are exhibiting their solutions this year.” The exhibition will comprise demonstrations for visitors and mock up scale models to provide a feel of the next generation of realty construction and design. Additionally, seminars and workshops will be arranged for cross-pollination of ideas. The 10th edition of Zak Glass Technology Expo attracted over 220 exhibitors representing 400 Indian & international brands, and over 20,600 visitors; the 9th edition of Zak Doors & Windows Expo attracted over 120 exhibitors representing 160 Indian & international brands; the 4rd edition of Zak Aluminium Extrusions Expo attracted over 60 exhibitors from 10 countries which were held last year in New Delhi. About Zak Trade Fairs & Exhibitions Zak Group is one of the leading trade show and exhibition organizers with a vision to create construction change through innovative ideas through the medium of exhibitions and tradeshows such as Zak Glass Technology, Zak Doors and
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Windows etc. Zak brings together manufacturers, innovators, distributors and fabricators to promote innovation in and enhance quality of building construction. Since its first exhibition in 1994, Zak has organized over 450 exhibitions & conferences involving 22 different industries in different parts of India, Singapore, Sri Lanka, USA & Bangladesh.
Buzz For further information please contact: Syed Ahad Ahmed Mobile No.: +91 98847 00000 Email ID: ahad@zakgroup.com Visit www.zakglasstech.com, www.zakdoorsandwindows.com, zakaluminiumextrusions.com
teaching applicators in a two day course about sealants, adhesives and PU foams applications which will be the first of its kind in the world that a company dedicates its place and service for Teaching training and skill development.
officially inaugurates its production plant Mccoy Soudal starts production in their newly inaugurated plant in Bawal, Haryana. The state of the art plant, spread across 200,000 sq. ft. is one of Asia’s largest manufacturing plants in this category. A special designed R&D Centre has been built at the same place with help of some chemical engineers and chemists who will adapt and develop local solutions for sealants and adhesives and standard products to suit Indian market and climatic conditions and work atmosphere. The production plant has a capacity of close to 20 million cartridges per year of sealants and adhesives. Subsequently the PU foams shall also be added to the portfolio. This plant has the unique
Please keep watching for more updates on McCoy Soudal in the coming times. ability to scale itself to major volumes in short time with help of the state of the art equipment and plant machinery imported from Germany. The plant built according to European specifications is a marvel of its kind in Bawal (Haryana) A special designed R&D center has been built at the same place with a couple of chemical engineers and chemists which will adapt and develop local solutions for sealant and adhesives and standard products to suit the Indian climatic conditions and work atmosphere. A floor space of 10,000 sq ft. has been allocated to set up India’s first McAademy, a training center for
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Buzz
LIXIL - Japan’s Largest Building Products Company, Enhances Focus on the Indian Market TOKYO / NEW DELHI, October 8, 2013 –LIXIL Corporation (Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan; President and CEO Yoshiaki Fujimori), today announced that it has acquired a controlling 70% stake in Star Alubuild Private Limited (hereinafter “Star Alubuild”) based in Delhi NCR, India, from subsidiaries of DLF Ltd, India's largest realestate company, majority shareholder and Romi Malhotra, the founder of Star Alubuild. With this acquisition, valuing Star Alubuild at INR 798m enterprise value, LIXIL has made its first major investment in therapidly growing building materials market of India. Star Alubuild is a leading Indian curtain wall company, executing projects all over India. It specializes in the designing, engineering, fabrication and installation of curtain walls for commercial buildings, retail malls and doors & windows for projects throughout India. Since 2003, the company has been involved in projects in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and other metro cities, thereby creating a high quality customer base which includes DLF, IREO, Oberoi and Larsen & Toubro, amongst others.
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Acquires majority stake in Star Alubuild from DLF to further grow the Indian building products market
LIXIL, the largest housing and building materials company in Japan with leadership across eight market categories, is actively building up its manufacturing and marketing capabilities around the world to achieve faster growth. As per its Medium-term Management Vision is targeting sales of JPY 1 trillion annually from its global operations. It assigns top priority to developing the Indian market due to the country's rapid and enormous potential for growth. Through this acquisition, LIXIL will acquire an established network for the manufacturing and marketing of aluminum sash. In conjunction with its existing sanitary ware brand American Standard, this will further accelerate LIXIL's foray into the Indian market. This transaction seamlessly follows the successful acquisition of American Standard Asia Pacific in 2009, Permasteelisa in Italy in 2011, American Standard Brands in the USA in August 2013, and subject to applicable competition authorities approval, Germany's GROHE Group. Bill Crichton, COO of LIXIL ASEAN PTE. LTD., said “ I see this strategic
acquisition as the first step to developing India's first national aluminium curtain wall and window sash supplier with full capabilities to design, fabricate and install for India's leading developers at a national level. Our aim is to work closely with architects,building designers and developers, to understand their requirements, and then design and build the best qualityproducts using our global expertise, at a very competitive price for the Indian market.” DLF, after providing key anchor support to Star Alubuild in its initial growth phase, has decided to exit its investment in Star Alubuild as part of its ongoing non-core divestment strategy. Saurabh Chawla, Executive Director, DLF, commented “We have had a very fruitful relationship with Star Alubuild and wish the company the very best for its next phase of growth. A global player like LIXIL acquiring a controlling stake in Star Alubuild demonstrates the confidence in the Indian real estate sector and ancillary industry. We would be delighted to continue our business relationship with Star Alubuild under its new ownership”
Highlights of Star Alubuild’s Acquisition
Acquiring Company: LIXIL ASEAN PTE. LTD. (LIXIL’s wholly-owned subsidiary based in Singapore) LIXIL ASEAN PTE. LTD. acquired controlling stake of 70% from subsidiaries of DLF Ltd and Star Alubuild founder, Romi Malhotra
Share Purchase Agreement Concluded: April 25, 2013
Management after acquisition: Star Alubuild will continue to be led by its founder and current president,Romi Malhotra.
Financial Advisor to LIXIL: Pricewaterhouse Coopers Private Ltd Financial Advisor to DLF: Ernst & Young Private Ltd
About Star Alubuild Established in 2003, Star Alubuild is one of India’s leading façade design, fabrication and installation service companies, focusing primarily on doors and windows, simple curtain walls and solid surface façades for interiors and exteriors. Led by founder and president, Romi Malhotra, it has serviced an array of projects, ranging fromresidential to infrastructure, as well as from economy to premium segments, with key clients including DLF, IREO, Oberoi and Larsen & Toubro. Star Alubuild has a 1,50,000 square-feet fabrication facility in Gurgaon just outside Delhi and an additional undeveloped 2.4 acres of land in Chennai as a hub for southern expansion.
Registered Name : Star Alubuild Private Limited President : Romi Malhotra Head Office : 75, Sector 8, Phase IV, IMT Manesar, Gurgaon, Haryana, India (includes factory) Established : February 11, 2003 Number of Shares : 2,281,755 shares (with par value of 10 rupees) Employees : Approx. 517 Sales : INR1,003 million (FY2012 actuals) About LIXIL Corporation Led by President and CEO Yoshiaki Fujimori, LIXIL Group Corporation (TSE Code: 5938) is a listed holding company posting JPY 1.4 trillion in consolidated sales in FY2012�FY ended March 2013.� The Group engages in a broad spectrum of housing businesses, ranging from the manufacture and sales of building materials and housing equipment to the operation of home centers and a network of homebuilding franchises.
LIXIL has been active in strategic acquisitions and partnerships in order to fortify and accelerate its growth in foreign markets. It currently operates in more than 30 countries through premium brands offered over a broad product lineup and services. Permasteelia, Gartner and Shanghai Meite, for example, spearhead the project business (building materials and curtain walls), while LIXIL, American Standard Asia Pacific, Inax and Tostem are major players featuring an impressive brand portfolio that includes kitchen units, bathroom fixtures, windows and doors. Over the past four months, LIXIL has concluded to acquire American Standard Brands, a USA-based kitchen and bath products maker as well as an agreement to acquire GROHE Group, Europe's leading single-brand manufacturer of sanitary fittings, in a move to strengthen LIXIL’s global presence even further. For more information about LIXIL, please visit http://global.lixil.co.jp/
LIXIL Corporation, a subsidiary of LIXIL Group Corporation, is the largest housing and building materials company in Japan with a vast and unique business portfolio. It is a leader in eight market categories, with a 55% share in exteriors, 50% share in housing sashes and doors, 50% share in curtain walls and 40% share in sanitary wares, as well as a well-known brand in tiles, washstand cabinet units, and bathroom and kitchen units.
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takes over the sole ownership of the former Indian JV Chemetall – Rai and pledges their commitment to Indian market GARDOBOND® X and OXSILAN® AL technologies are Chemetall’s new chrome-free solutions for the pretreatment of aluminium, along with the Gardo® Etch and Gardo® Seal product range for anodizing processes. For many decades, hexavalent chrome pre-treatment has been the standard for aluminium. More recently, chrome-based pre-treatment processes have come under pressure for environmental and health and safety reasons. The first chrome-free pretreatment processes started to appear in the marketplace about 20 years ago. Today, with almost two decades of operating experience gained, and hundreds of users worldwide, the performance of these programmes is equivalent to the conventional hexavalent chrome products. Users of chrome-free technology include all the world’s biggest names in the industry. Chemetall’s Gardobond® X and OXSILAN® AL series state-of-the-art chrome-free pretreatment processes for aluminium - help producers maximise adhesion and corrosion protection. Chrome-free and approved solutions for the aluminium pretreatment
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Both Gardobond® X 4707 and OXSILAN® AL 0510 hold industry standard Qualicoat and GSB approvals. The technologies can be applied by spray, dip or cascade application. They are easy to handle and low maintenance to run. Furthermore the processes are simple to control, with the added benefit as they are chrome-free effluent treatment costs are reduced. The products meet the most demanding quality goals and by eliminating heavy metals, health, safety and environmental risks and costs are thereby reduced. Chemetall – globally active, locally based Chemetall is a leading global supplier of surface treatment technologies with own sales offices, production facilities, service teams, laboratories and warehouses at locations all around the world. Over the past decades, the Chemetall group has largely invested in the surface treatment business in India. In July 2013, Chemetall took over the sole ownership of its former Indian joint venture Chemetall-Rai, which was founded with the families Rai and Nath in 1995. In 2012 the company invested in a second modern production facility in Chennai to keep pace with the growth dynamics of the Indian market. In the same year they also acquired the chemical business of Gramos, a leading local player for surface treatment technologies in the Indian automotive industry. “The acquisition of Chemetall-Rai is a further milestone in our growth strategy”, says Joris Merckx, President Chemetall and adds “As a sole owner we can react faster to the demands of the Indian market and further expand our surface treatment business in the Asian region.”
Buzz Technical Contact Abhay Kulkarni Phone: +91 2137 618035 abhay.kulkarni@chemetall-rai.co.in Chemetall Gat No. 569, Pune Nagar Road 412 207 Pune India Telephone: +91 2137 61 8000 Fax: +91 2137 253 128 info@chemetall-rai.co.in www.chemetall-rai.co.in Press Contact Sandra Zirm Global Marketing Comm. Mgr. Phone: +49 (0)69 7165 2308 pr@chemetall.com Chemetall GmbH Trakehner Str. 3 D-60487 Frankfurt a. Main Germany www.chemetall.com
takes a further step in the world’s largest growth region, India and Inaugurates the new production site in Vadodara, Gujarat
On 25 May 2013, profine Group inaugurated its new production site in Vadodara, India. The plant is currently running three extrusion lines that produce country specific systems to German quality standards with a capacity to an annual production level of 3,000 tonnes of profiles. “We are pleased to take this further step in one of the world’s largest growth regions and to contribute to the sustainable expansion of this market together with our customers,” said Dr Peter Mrosik, owner and CEO of profine Group, at the opening ceremony. With its Kömmerling brand, profine has been active in India for six years, and its subsidiary based in New Delhi is regarded as the leading profile importing company on this market.
The new production site will be manufacturing systems marketed specifically in India, including the outward opening 58 mm “Gold Asea” and the sliding system “Orta”. Profine has invested a total of more than �4m in this location of about 14,000 m2. Dr Peter Mrosik: “The production plant in Vadodara is a clear sign of our commitment to the Indian market and to its extraordinary growth opportunities.” At the opening ceremony attended by more than 120 guests, Dr Mrosik and profine COO Gerhard Schwager stressed in particular the personal commitment of Farid Khan, CEO for India, and Christian Amling, Head of Operations Asia, whose teams had managed to set up the plant in just a few months. Located in the northwestern state
of Gujarat, Vadodara is one of the emerging metropolises of India and is regarded as a significant trade and logistics centre. Populated by 1.7 million inhabitants, the city has also been expanding for some time as an industrial location – with the corresponding infrastructure and a large potential of qualified skilled workers. About profine: profine GmbH – International Profile Group – is a worldwide leading manufacturer of PVC-U profiles for windows and doors and a renowned provider of shutter systems and PVC sheets. profine Group manufactures at production facilities in Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Russia, Ukraine, the USA and China, with its head office in Troisdorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, and a payroll of 3,000.
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SBZ 630 – PROFILE MACHINING CENTRE FROM ELUMATEC Imagine loading a 6m frame profile bar at one end and getting all sides of the frame with all machining, dowel holes, water drainage slots, corner cleat holes neatly machined or loading a 6m shutter bar at one end and collecting 4 / 8 pieces (2 track 2 shutter sliding window) with complete machining of lock slots, interlock notches and other hardware fixtures machined. And on top that, just one man is required to operate the machine. The machine comes with a 550 mm saw which can tilt, pivot or move like a radial saw and can be mounted with up to 30 processing units around the milling station. The tools are mounted in the angle required and save time for coming into position resulting in quick and accurate machining.
Preview
There is no loading / unloading time loss or shifting of profile from one machine to another. The machine can process doors, windows and standard curtain wall profiles much faster of width up to 200 mm and length up to 7500 mm. Entire bar can be optimized so that the wastage is minimum or offcuts of 500 mm and above can be loaded to be processed on the machine. The SBZ 630 comes in 3 parts: Loading Station Upto 7 bars of 7.5m can be mounted on the loading station. A pusher with complete programmable gripper pushes the profile into the machine head. Machining Station 1 The Machining station is housed in a noise reducing enclosure and has two units. 2 A Milling/Machining Unit with a radial head and capacity to mount upto 30 individual units. As these units are mounted in the angle and direction of machining, positioning time is negligible. 3 Cutting Unit with 550mm 7 axis Saw blade which can tilt -45 to +45, pivot – 45 to +135 deg and move radially too.
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Off Loading station After the cutting, the profiles roll out on a conveyor for collection.
The FULL GLAZED effect is also ensured by an important innovation consisting of the SMART CORNER joint patented by Giesse which gives side hung Essenza a central profile of minimum dimension. AIR-WATER-WIND PERFORMANCE: Resistance to wind-load – up to class C5 (2000 Pa) Air tightness – Class 4 ESSENZA CASEMENT SYSTEM FROM GIESSE The unique casement system from Giesse features the flush surface typical of a swing opening door or a window along with the maximum size of the glazing surface and the minimalistic aesthetics of a completely hidden profile.
Water Tightness – E1200 (1200 Pa) THERMAL TRANSMITTANCE: With Essenza it is possible to achieve a thermal insulation of below Uw = 1.4 W/m2K and with special glass and dedicated gases it is possible to achieve even higher performance values. ACOUSTIC PERFORMANCE: The sound reduction value depends on the type of glass used and can reach a reduction value of 40 Db.
The sash has a completely glazed surface based on similar technologies to the structural sashes used on continuous facades. It comprises a 6 mm internal glass pane, 27 mm air chamber, a 5 mm intermediate pane, another 32 mm air chamber and a 6 mm external pane. 6|27|5|32|6 The profiles, all featuring thermal break are with 24 mm bars are Euro groove type and house the Futura 3D invisible concealed fittings with a sash load capacity of up to 140 kg. | NOV-DEC 2013 WFM 69 |
www.zakdoorsandwindows.com
ZAK TRADE FAIRS & EXHIBITIONS PVT. LTD. Ahad: + 91-98846 88888 | ahad@zakgroup.com
Organised by :
ALUMINIUM EXTRUSIONS
Concurrent Shows:
The space of doors, windows and facades is evolving at a fantastic pace with new technologies, designs and innovations - this exciting space of opportunities is coming in all its glory at the 10th Zak Doors & Windows Expo 2013. Be there. Be a part of witnessing the rising story of innovation and growth in fenestration.
12th - 15th December 2013, MMRDA Exhibition Centre, Bandra-Kurla Complex, Mumbai, India
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10th International Trade Fair on Doors, Windows, Facades, technologies, components and products.
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| NOV-DEC 2013 WFM 71 |