Glass facades will be a major topic at this year's glasstec 2012, to be held October 23 - 26, 2012 in Düsseldorf, Germany, according to show organizers. The central contact point for all those interested in facades will be Hall 11-the location of the "Facades Center," with the "Competence Center Glass, Window, Facade" and the "Glass Technology Live" special show.
The "Competence Center Glass, Window, Facade" portion will combine the know-how of numerous institutes and associations, including EuroWindoor, the German Flat Glass Manufacturers' Association, the Association of Independent Facade Consultants, the Institute for Window Technology, the Bavarian Center for Applied Energy Research and the German Sustainable Building Council.
The neighboring "Glass Technology Live" special show will take a look at the future of glass. The range of exhibits will include innovative facade elements featuring, for example, building-integrated photovoltaic systems. The special portion of the event will be organized by Professor Stefan Behling and his team from the Institute for Architecture and Urban Planning at the University of Stuttgart with the motto "Innovative Glass Functions." On October 25, the theme of the supporting symposium will be "Integrative Concepts for Transparent Building Shells." Participation is free of charge for all glasstec 2012 visitors.
In addition to these exhibits, two supporting conferences also will deal with this theme. On October 24, the North Rhine-Westphalian Chamber of Architects, the Delft University of Applied Science and the Ostwestfalen-Lippe University of Applied Sciences will organize the "Architectural Congress" with the motto "Appearances + Perspectives." It will be geared toward architects, structural engineers, air-conditioning technicians and facade planners. On October 25 and 26, the "Engineered Transparency" scientific specialist conference organized by the TU Dresden and TU Darmstadt Universities of Applied Sciences will address experts from the areas of research and development as well as construction and design. They will examine the latest developments and research results concerning engineered (glass) transparency along with innovations in the areas of facade technology and solar energy in building shells. Both conferences will be held at the Congress Center East at the Düsseldorf Exhibition Center.
