Singapore
Sliding doors 3.4 m high!

Vento Systems Pte Ltd supplied and installed Topaze+ Sliding Doors for one villa totally open to the light. This is a first of in Singapore with sash dimension 3.4m (H) x 2m (W). To emphasize their point, Vento Systems along with Technal, had presented a full-scale prototype which immediately convinced the customer.

Vento Systems has installed a dozen sliding systems in several configurations, from 2 sashes on 2 tracks to 6 sashes on 3 tracks at the Leedon Park Project. These sliding systems are exceptionally large for the region and should have a bright future now that Technal, with its customer, has demonstrated their feasibility with no deterioration in technical performance and without affecting sliding or operating quality. Three other similar projects are now planned in the coming months.

Architects: Liu & Wo Architects Pte Ltd
Aluminium manufacture and installation: Vento Systems Pte Ltd

Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic
The GEODE curtain wall equips the Universal tower

The new head office of Seguros Universal Insurance is emblematic of the values represented by the company, a general insurance company and leader in the Dominican Republic: security, force and solidity. The Prats Gonzalez & Asociados agency architects chose Technal's GEODE SSG (Structural Sealant Glazing) for its transparency and security. Agency architects Pilar González de Ariza and José Ramón Prats explain that "this curtain wall allows the company's staff to enjoy the exterior light to the full while being protected from excessive solar rays. The GEODE system guarantees good solar gain control and limits energy losses". The architects also appreciated working with Technal: "the brand supplied a great deal of very precise information and detailed drawings, which facilitated the project's progress. Oscar Valiente – Induca company – and Pierre Gaussen, Technal Sales Manager in Caribbean and Central America provided invaluable support throughout the project, and delivery and installation took place on time."

Owner: Seguros Universal Insurance
Architects: Prats Gonzalez & Asociados
Aluminium manufacture-installation: Induca

Learn more about GEODE

The Pullman Mazagan Hotel, Morocco
LUMEAL makes the difference

The bay of El Jadida, formerly called Mazagan, gave its name to the luxurious Pullman Mazagan Hotel which is currently undergoing renovation. The renovation is progressing swiftly to respect the deadline planned for next June. This is one of the reasons which convinced MADAËF, the owner, to choose Technal. Assistant project manager, Pascal Pirollet, estimates that "Technal's reactivity and Vete's lead times can meet challenges such as this. But it is also the Technal product which made the difference: the LUMEAL sliding window with concealed opening sash convinced us by its exceptional design where the aluminium almost disappears." It is true that with sight lines of 77 mm for the frame and 38 mm for the opening sash, LUMEAL represents a reduction of almost 35 % in the aluminium masses! The glass area is increased by around 10 %, a substantial increase for a hotel with an exceptional view of the Ocean.

LUMEAL's other advantage is due to the concealed opening sash design, allowing large frames to be produced without reducing performance. Almost one hundred fifty from 2m x 2m to 3m (W) x 2.3m (H) frames have been manufactured and installed by Vete and this is the company's first major LUMEAL project.

Architect: Archid
Owner: MADAËF
Manufacturer/installer: Vete – Morocco

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The Head Office of the Andalusian Energy Agency: a bioclimatic model

The head office of the Andalusian Energy Agency was designed by César Ruiz-Larrea as an entity where energy production and exchanges are optimised. The building's design takes into account the sun's path, the urban environment and the zone's prevailing wind directions by improving the building's wind permeability. The patios, gardens and water wedge - reinterpreted by the Andalusian architecture – become natural cooling zones which limit the need for air conditioning.

The building is contained in an envelope constructed from the GEODE façade which absorbs and dissipates the solar radiation. The building has a host of energy features: heat exchangers with buried tubes for natural cooling of the outside air; light wells, to reduce the need for electric light; solar chimneys, to extract heated air; ventilation column systems with both structural and cooling functions. This strategy enables the building to produce 75 % of its energy consumption with renewable energy sources, making it one of the most advanced bioclimatic architectural projects in Europe.

A promising future for the TECHNAL brand in South Africa

The Technal brand which has a strong foothold in South Africa has every reason to count on a high level of future prospects with the creation of Technal Systems South Africa. This joint venture brings together Hydro Building Systems International and Cyndara, one of South Africa's leading aluminium system distributors and the current Technal licensee in South Africa. Cyndara's shareholders are the Mazor Group, who operate businesses in steel and aluminium façade contracting as well as glass processing, and Hulamin, who operate aluminium rolling and extrusion businesses in South Africa.

The two entities have created a win-win partnership based on
their respective expertise and on the products which have boosted the Technal brand's influence in the region. This contract was signed on 1st March 2012 at a very promising time due to the South African Government's introduction of a thermal regulations policy similar to the European standards system. "The call for tenders in South Africa now include façade and window thermal and air permeability requirements which demand high-performance aluminium systems. Technal has been supplying these to the market for a long time" says Benjamin Fontaine, Hydro Building Systems International Licensees and Development Manager. "Johannesburg is a mainly tertiary market where the GEODE curtain wall is highly appreciated. It is available for many applications: SSG Structural Sealant Glazing, BG Beaded Glazing, grille, horizontal grid, etc. Further south, in Cape Town, the market has a high development potential, particularly in the top-of-the-range residential sector. In this sector the LUMEAL sliding windows, the SOLEAL casement windows and the NOTEAL shutters are greatly appreciated by architects. Technal Systems South Africa will be able to react effectively to this promising market."

Beirut, Lebanon
A SIDEM seminar on TECHNAL innovation

Beirut's Gabriel Hotel hosted a seminar on Technal's innovation on 23rd February 2012. Almost 100 architects, customers and consultants were present at the invitation of SIDEM, Technal's sole agent in Lebanon, to discover Technal's architectural solutions. This success is a clear indication of the undeniable popularity in the architectural world for Technal products which are in phase with the regional market. This market is very demanding in terms of thermal performance, solar energy management and aesthetic qualities.

Following a general introduction by André Kurdy, Sidem Sales Manager, Benjamin Fontaine, Hydro Building Systems International Licensees and Development Manager gave a detailed presentation of the features of the products, including the large-dimension LUMEAL sliding window with concealed opening sashes, the SUNEAL sun protection systems, the SOLEAL sliding panels and casement windows and also the new TOPAZE + casement window. The exchanges with the guests on the products and projects were continued during a highly appreciated cocktail dinner.

SUNEAL: a new aesthetic design for solar control

At a time when solar control is an indispensable part of any architectural project, Technal has developed a range of brise-soleil which enables designers to customise their façades with creativity and efficiency:
- creativity due to SUNEAL's very accomplished design and to the wide variety of solutions offered (vertical, horizontal, fixed, motorised blades, etc.), giving the project designer great freedom with the graphic lines and rhythms of the façades.
- efficiency by its wind resistance: Technal has carried out wind tunnel resistance tests under a specific protocol. These tests at the Construction Technical Test Centre in France have determined the sizing charts for the brise-soleil according to project, location, wind pressure, snow load, etc.

SUNEAL brise-soleil provide the structures with a passive protection highly appreciated by the users and which is increasingly used to obtain primary energy savings: they let in the light but not the heat or solar radiation. To switch from passive protection to the active production of free renewable energy, SUNEAL brise-soleil can be equipped with photovoltaic modules (185 x 1200 mm modules).

SUNEAL brise-soleil can be integrated in all GEODE facades (SSG Structural Sealant Glazing, Grid, horizontal grid, etc.) or on a structure independent of the facade.

A wide range of finishes is also available, from natural anodised finishes to paint finishes. SUNEAL is also available in Exclusive Technal colours and in wood shades.

The new SUNEAL brochure is now available

SUNEAL unveils the new series of Technal documentation which presents the products under all
their aesthetic and technical aspects with many cross sections, airbrush graphics and photos.

This documentation is more substantial than the old "Découvertes" format. There are 15 pages of
SUNEAL architectural solutions, types of installation, performance tables, finishes, colours, etc.

Click here to download the SUNEAL brochure