E...tcetera - Technal

Technal


September 2012


... ENJOYING

Jany Swimming Pool and Ice Rink


Jany Swimming Pool and Ice Rink, Toulouse, France
Hot and cold blow on GEODE

The Alex Jany Sports Complex in Toulouse has an indoor swimming pool with two pools of 25 m and 15 m, a paddling pool and outside beaches, and a 60 m ice rink which can seat 900 spectators. All the project's functional elements (reception hall, stairways, walkways, gangways and furnishings) are in the separation between the ice rink and the swimming pool whose volumes and lines are in permanent tension: curves and round countours for the ice rink covered with vertical wood cladding, straight lines disappearing into the backlighting of the natural light for the rectangular volume swimming pool, the contrasts seem to blow hot and cold.

The TECHNAL GEODE facade has contributed greatly to this project's success, particularly for the swimming pool where the bright colours of the furnishings and walls of the reception area brilliantly compete with the natural light softened by the water's reflection. The GEODE facade, used for the roof lights and the curtain walls of the reception area and swimming pool, demonstrates here its slender lines and great flexibility of use. The bottom-hung windows were manufactured with SOLEAL joinery. This sports complex was designed with a high environmental quality approach with solar panels for the sanitary hot water, photovoltaic panels and a roof designed like a thick, intelligent facade which expands and contracts according to the volumes it covers.

Contracting authority: City of Toulouse
Architects: Sutter and Taillandier
Technal-approved Fabricator and Installer: LABASTERE 31, France

Jany Swimming Pool and Ice Rink   Jany Swimming Pool and Ice Rink
 
Jany Swimming Pool and Ice Rink
 

 
... WORLD

TECHNAL makes its mark on two remarkable projects in Mexico

TECHNAL has supplied the profiles and technical support for the aluminium lots for two new projects in Mexico: the Veracruz Courthouse and two luxury apartment blocks in Mexico City. For Pierre Gaussen, TECHNAL Mexico-Caribbean Manager, "these current two projects illustrate the favourable interest for TECHNAL products which differ from the region's products by their high performance and their design. TECHNAL also provides its technical expertise, which allows us to offer architectural solutions right from the moment a consultant or an architect envisages his project."

These two 22 storey luxury tower blocks designed by architect Felipe Girault - located in one of the most beautiful areas of the town of Santa Fe - offer 330 m² to 400 m² apartments. The Cristalum company made and installed the TOPAZE range sliding systems, windows (projecting and fixed frames) and doors as well as very large LUMEAL sliders: 2 sashes: 5 m (L) x 2.7 m (H) and 4 sashes: 9 m (L) x 2.7 m (H).

Architect: Felipe Girault
Aluminium company: Cristalum S.A

The 2000 m² facade of the imposing "Tribunal Federal de Justicia Fiscal y Administrativa" of Xalapa, capital of the state of Veracruz, is produced with a GEODE curtain wall with grid aspect and single glazing. The necessity to guarantee sun screening was the opportunity to give the facade a resolutely vertical aspect. TECHNAL has developed large SUNEAL vertical brise-soleils (300 mm) which are clipped onto the GEODE mullions. The project also uses TOPAZE sliding systems and doors.

Architect: Mauricio Garcia Cué

 

TECHNAL makes its mark on two remarkable projects in Mexico

Contact : Pierre Gaussen, Area Sales Manager (Mexico)
+52 55 49801923 / pierre.gaussen@hydro.com

TECHNAL makes its mark on two remarkable projects in Mexico
 

 

Dembeni, Mayotte (France)

Dembeni, Mayotte (France)
 

...STUDYING

Dembeni, Mayotte (France)
The «green» illusion

The Polyvalent General and Vocational Education secondary school in Dembeni has a complex topography which A.R.O.M. Architecture used to the full. The flat part of the ground is occupied by a car park which opens onto the school courtyard. This courtyard is located at the centre of the structure, at the junction between the site's two natural curves – orientated West and North respectively – and which run along a stream. The buildings are constructed along the stream and follow its curves, with the vocational education secondary school to the West and the general education secondary school to the North. The lush vegetation is also a source of inspiration for the architects who installed a GEODE Structural Sealant Glazing curtain wall equipped with Antelio silver-grey glass on the entrance facades so that they reflect the stream's trees. The mirror effect thus produces a beautiful "green" illusion. An illusion from the exterior but a real perception from the interior because of the total transparency and the persons in the volumes away from the entrance are at the height of the tree canopy. "The mirror effect is so beautiful that we did not add the screen printing which we had planned!" says Violaine Liétar who adds: "we installed SAFETYLINE jalousie (which is a louver system) with a green patina finish in total harmony with this vegetal environment and which, from the interior, reduces the visual impact of the jalousie blades. This frame is an excellent product for ventilation, it remains watertight and offers good burglar resistance." The blades of most jalousies are entirely made of glass, protected by brise-soleils. Some jalousies, directly exposed to the sun, have a mixed version of aluminium and glass, to allow the light to pass when the jalousie is closed.
The entrance facade consists of wood cladding over a height of 2 m then SAFETYLINE jalousies and finally the GEODE Structural Sealant Glazing curtain wall. The facades of the three offset volumes are also have GEODE Structural Sealant Glazing with top-hung openings providing natural ventilation.

Contracting authority: Vice-Rectorat of Mayotte (976)
Architect: A.R.O.M Architecture - Mamoudzou, Mayotte (976)
Aluminium joinery manufacture and installation: EMPRO
Mamoudzou, Mayotte (976)

Learn more about: GEODE SSG / SAFETYLINE

     
Dembeni, Mayotte (France)
 

 
... LIVING

France
LUMEAL at the gates of light

The contracting authorities for this house wanted light rather than the sun, the architects offered them a system of living spaces distributed around a patio. Four volumes are organised around the living room (three bedrooms, bathroom and kitchen) with a geometrical clarity and rigorous definition of the volumes and their correlation with the material: wood, raw concrete and glass. Large areas of smooth and abstract coatings alternate with the rough imprints left by the wooden formwork and the raw concrete walls. These are interspersed with a series of vertical lines, sometimes open-worked, from a wooden cladding. The remainder basically consists of sliding glazed walls where the aluminium gives way to the light. Explanation: these walls are made with LUMEAL sliding system. Its concealed opening design gives it the thinnest sight lines on the market – 68 mm and 77 mm with central meeting stile – which represents between 8 % and 14 % more clear glazing depending on the applications. The LUMEAL sliding system has one, two or four sliders depending on the rooms, but always full height, and therefore becomes a major construction element.

Contracting authority: Private owner
Architect: Franck Martinez
Technal-approved Fabricator and Installer: SEMIS

Learn more about: LUMEAL

 
LUMEAL at the gates of light
     
LUMEAL at the gates of light   LUMEAL at the gates of light
 

 
... GREEN

India
HBS India certified Iso 14001

The Head Office of HBS India, based in Bangalore, which was inaugurated in 2011, has become an eco-construction reference in India in just a few months. The well-known magazine "Construction Week" even places it among the top ten "eco-constructed" buildings in India. It is true that with a facade with double "green" skin in places, brise-soleils, solar panels, photovoltaic panels which produce 30 % of the building's energy needs, the Head Office of HBS India is eligible for the LEED certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), which is pending. Beyond the architectural design and TECHNAL solutions adapted to eco-construction, – GEODE curtain wall, SUNEAL brise-soleil, SAFETYLINE jalousies (louver system) – it must be remembered that the primary requirement for this type of project is a low energy consumption, which is the case for the Head Office of HBS India.
HBS India plays a major role in sustainable development in construction, and holds the Iso 14001 certification for environmental management since last April. To meet the requirements of this certification, HBS India had to identify the environmental impact of its activity and develop the actions necessary to improve its environmental performance. Although it does not impose performance levels because it would be impossible to define fixed universal levels, this Iso 14001 certification still has very high environmental management requirements and the HBS India teams are therefore proud of this certification!

Beary’s Global Research Triangle (based in Bangalore) is a flagship project for eco-construction in India and for close cooperation between Subhendu Ganguly, TECHNAL India Manager's teams and the architects and consultants, well upstream of the projects. Here the GEODE curtain walls and the SUNEAL brise-soleils contribute to limiting the building's energy consumption.

 
HBS India certified Iso 14001
 

 
... EVENTS

TECHNAL at GlassExpo (South Africa)

The GlassExpo Africa 2012 exhibition took place last August in Johannesburg, South Africa. This young exhibition – it was created in 2008 – has been very successful, particularly with architects, consultants, developers and companies.

On the TECHNAL stand (TECHNAL was present for the first time) the visitors were able to discover the wide range and versatility of the brand's products which are in phase with the regional market: screening products such as the NOTEAL shutter, the SUNEAL brise-soleil, the SOLEAL casement windows with thermal break, the GEODE curtain wall with its grid aspect, etc. The new TOPAZE+ casement window, which is a development in the TOPAZE range, was highly appreciated because it allows larger frames to be produced and offers stylish lines when seen from the interior, and is very discrete when seen from the exterior (read item “Evolution”).

The whole of TECHNAL Systems South Africa team would like to thank its many visitors.

TECHNAL at GlassExpo (South Africa)
 

 
... EVOLUTION

TOPAZE a rising investment

The TOPAZE window is a safe investment on the construction markets and is moving up range! Always in tune with the current architectural trends, TECHNAL wished to develop the TOPAZE series without changing the principle which made it successful: a cost-effective range with sealing and acoustic performances meeting the European standards. Its thin and discreet lines are particularly well adapted to hot climates and make it ideal for all architectural projects from the most conventional to the most daring. TOPAZE's development has resulted in a window which is still just as easy to make, but with a more contemporary appearance and more advanced hardware (handles and mechanisms).

All versions of the TOPAZE casement window are now equipped with embedded gear box allowing the use of square drive handles. This widens the choice of espagnolette rod.

"Exclusive TECHNAL design" line   "Intermediate" line   "Eco" line
"Exclusive TECHNAL design" line   "Intermediate" line   "Eco" line
     

A straight design in harmony with the architectural trends, for all types of opening sashes
TOPAZE now offers two versions of opening sashes with overlapping interior:

TOPAZE: 6 to 33 mm of glazing
TOPAZE +: 6 to 39 mm of glazing allowing blinds to be integrated between two glazed panels.

TOPAZE + is a window which is more stylish on the inside and still as discrete on the outside. The design is identical to TOPAZE but the opening sash is wider on the inside with 61 mm module profiles.

The outward-opening casement windows benefit from TOPAZE's development.
The TOPAZE outward-opening casement window offers a square design opening sash, straight lines for perfect coherence with the range's doors and sliding systems, with the choice between flush or non-flush sashes on the inside.

 


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