Saint-Gobain Glass has glazed the facades of the House of Astronomy, located at Heidelberg, Germany.
Saint-Gobain Glass at House of Astronomy, Germany - Via Saint Gobain Glass India Flickr Photo stream
The building, which is used to give workshops and presentations about astronomy to school pupils, teachers and the public, required a neutral glass material which could double up as a solar control glass. Hence the glasses used were SGG CLIMAPLUS ONE STADIP 66.2 and SGG COOL LITE SKN 154, which were ideally suited for this contemporary architecture.
The House of Astronomy was incepted with the mission “to share the fascination of astronomy and astrophysics with a broad audience and, in particular, with schoolchildren; to foster the exchange of knowledge between scientists; and to communicate the results of astronomical research to the media and to the public.” The Architect, Bernhard & Partner Architekten, created a structure based on the shape of a spiral galaxy. The offices and seminar rooms were wrapped around a central auditorium that has a capacity to house almost 100 people. The contemporary architectural design demanded structural glazing solutions that were aesthetic and at once functional too.
Via Saint Gobain Glass India Flickr Photo stream
SGG CLIMAPLUS ONE STADIP 66.2 and SGG COOL LITE SKN 154 were chosen to glaze the facades of the contemporary architecture. With ample natural daylight being allowed in, the façade material was required to give protection while ensuring solar control glass as well. CLIMAPLUS ONE satisfied the desired pre-requisites with its high level of neutrality and excellent solar control properties. To be perfectly in sync with the White windows in the bent metal facade, the Blue-Greenish colour of CLIMAPLUS ONE was used.
The top floor was glazed with SGG COOL LITE SKN. External blinds were not required as enough protection from sunlight had already been provided with the energy efficient glass and therefore maintenance was also significantly eliminated. A heat reflective glass, SGG COOL LITE not only cuts solar heat and keeps the interiors of a building cooler through the daytime; it also reduces the cost of air conditioning & air lighting. All these factors added immense value in making the House of Astronomy, an energy-efficient building.
Thus, with intelligently used glazing solutions, the House of Astronomy at Germany stands as a solid example of contemporary architecture coupled with energy-efficiency.
