Discover Germany | Special Theme | Building & Technology
Perfection – made in Germany
OTTO-CHEMIE’s award-winning façade It does not always need to be New York or London. Innovations that are acknowledged worldwide come from Fridolfing, a small town in the county of Traunstein in Upper Bavaria. Here, OTTO-CHEMIE has its office. TEXT: HERMANN OTTO GMBH, TRANSLATION: NANE STEINHOFF I PHOTOS: HERMANN OTTO GMBH
As a market leader in producing silicone sealants, the company stands for exceptional quality and the development of trendsetting products – such as the UNIGLAS® | FACADE composite elements made out of wood and glass. These were awarded the Architektur+ innovation prize from the specialist magazines AIT and xia Intelligente Architektur on the Fensterbau Frontale 2016 trade fair. UNIGLAS® | FAÇADE – more façade is not possible When experts from the areas of glass (UNIGLAS®), wood (Holzforschung Austria), research (ift Rosenheim, TU Vienna), as well as sealant and adhesives (OTTO-CHEMIE) come together and invest years in intensive research to bring a collective project to perfection, the outcome can only be unique: facades with an almost entire glass surface, optional opening elements and without the frames that were needed until now. This
becomes possible because the glazing is directly attached to a timber-undergrowth construction without profiles. The glass pane which faces the room is bonded to a patented post and beam construction with a special silicone, OTTOCOLL® S 660 and then it gets screwed together with the construction. The best from different worlds In this system, two completely different substances – glass and wood – are united to form a perfect symbiosis which combines the best characteristics with regard to energy efficiency, naturalness and constructional flexibility. With UNIGLAS® | FACADE, the carbon footprint can consequently be reduced by 43 per cent compared with conventional all-glass facades. Furthermore, an improved thermal insulation is achieved (primary energy demands only 209 kilowatt hours per square metre in comparison with 407 kilowatt hours per square metre for
aluminium profiles). Further advantages are shorter construction periods and comprehensive cost opimisation. The first project Of course, while building the new OTTO-logistics and training centre, nothing was more obvious for OTTO-CHEMIE than to use this innovation itself and to realise a visible milestone for the company at the same time. The management, marketing and merchandise planning departments, as well as the entire warehouse are also housed in this architecturally unique building. The facade speaks for itself – and for UNIGLAS® | FACADE. www.otto-chemie.com
Hermann Otto GmbH The medium-sized family business looks back on over 135 successful years of company history. Since the 1960s, the company has developed silicone sealants and is one of the European market leaders. Adhesives and sealants on the basis of silicone, polyurethane, silane-terminated polymers (hybrid) and acrylates form the product portfolio. Thereby, OTTO’s corporate philosophy is paramount: offering quality which is exclusively and consciously produced in Germany.
84 | Issue 87 | May 2016