Yas Hotel – Glass Panels For An Elegant Façade

The skyline of Abu Dhabi, the capital city of the United Arab Emirates is dotted with elegant buildings and super-tall skyscrapers that play the roles of corporate & commercial facilities, business towers, hotels, residences and so on. Yas Hotel recently made it to the list of among the most eye-catching architectural structures in Abu Dhabi by its differentially designed towers with glass on their exteriors.

The Yas Hotel is one of the main features of the ambitious 36-billion-dollar Yas Marina development and accompanying Formula 1 raceway circuit in Abu Dhabi. Yas Hotel is a 85,000-sqm complex of breath-taking structures, underneath the glass-and-steel garment of which, it offers visitors 500 rooms and a five-star array of facilities and amenities – eight restaurants, four bars, lavish recreational facilities including an 18-hole golf course and a 143-berth marina, and access to nearby attractions like the Ferrari World Theme Park.

Glass Panels

Yas Hotel consists of two conjoined 12-storey towers forming a T-intersection. These two towers are linked by a bridge over a racetrack and are covered in glass. A canopy made of a 217-meter expanse of sweeping, curvilinear forms constructed of steel and 5,800 pivoting diamond-shaped glass panels support the towers and bridge.

Grid shell

A ‘Grid-Shell’ visually connects and fuses the entire complex together while producing optical effects and spectral reflections that play against the surrounding sky, sea and desert landscape. The architecture as a whole “performs” as both an environmentally receptive solution as well as a visual spectacle.

During the daytime, the grid shell functions as an adjustable windscreen, assisting in thermal and ventilation control through its controlled reflectivity, along with offering a distinct biomorphic scaly texture. During the night, it converts the hotel into a massive light source and assumes a different kind of biomorphic form, akin to the graceful forms of luminescent jellyfish.

This project can claim global leadership in two respects: It is the first building ever constructed across a Formula 1 racetrack, and is reportedly the world's largest LED project to date. Between these two milestones, the auto races will probably grab more immediate attention, but the exterior is the Yas Hotel's truly revolutionary element.

Source: www.dezeen.com

Energy Efficient Solar Panels

The energy from the rays of the sun that can be converted to usable heat and electricity is referred to as solar energy. Solar energy is power derived from the rays of the sun. It is considered to be one, if not the most, environmentally friendly source of energy that can be used on earth. This solar energy can be converted into some other forms of energy and can be used for various applications. Solar panels harvest sunlight and actively convert it to electricity.Using solar panels is a great way to generate clean and renewable electricity from solar energy to power remote appliances, or even the average home. Having a solar panel energy system can be a great thing because it will allow you to save money on your energy costs. It can be very expensive to heat or cool your house so having a way to use the sun's energy can be very beneficial. Most of the things about using solar energy are positive except in some cases the cost can be expensive. Solar energy is used to reduce global warming at the same time saves lots of money.

Residential solar panels

Residential solar panels continue to be one of the largest trends in green building and energy conservation. Solar panels are quickly becoming one of the most affordable ways to lower utility costs for the homeowner.

Homes connected to the utility electrical grid are known as grid-tied homes or on-the-grid systems, while off-grid homes rely on batteries and need to be a safe distance from power lines. Most homeowners choose to work on the grid due to the added security from the utility company.
Residential solar energy systems still function on cloudy days by drawing upon backup electricity from the utility company (for on-the-grid systems), and the same is true during night hours. For off-the-grid systems, the panels are usually connected to a battery storage system as the backup power source and will extract energy if there is a deficiency that day.

Solar Cells

Solar panels are made up of number of solar cells. Solar Cells, or photovoltaic cells, are arranged in a grid-like pattern on the surface of the solar panel. These solar voltaic cells collect sunlight during the daylight hours and covert it into electricity. Sometimes the term solar cell is reserved for devices intended specifically to capture energy from sunlight, while the term photovoltaic cell is used when the light source is unspecified. The field of research related to solar cells is known as photo voltaic.

Solar electric panels contain many photovoltaic cells electrically connected and packaged behind glass for mechanical protection and electrical insulation. The modules are usually connected together in an array and with other components such as a mounting frame and an electrical inverter (for on grid) or a charge controller and batteries (for off grid).

In addition to solar panels, a photovoltaic (PV) system requires a mounting structure to tilt panels toward the sun, an inverter to convert panel-generated direct current (DC) into appliance-friendly alternating current (AC), battery storage to compensate for unfavourable weather conditions, and a charge controller to regulate battery operation.

Two Forms of solar cells

There are two main forms of solar cells in existence today, and these are; "solar electricity panels" and "solar hot water panels". The two different technologies allow us to either generate electricity for our homes or to heat the water we use.

The combination of a solar hot water panel with other renewable energy technologies, such as solar panels, or a home wind turbine can work quite well together in providing a source of cheap, clean, and renewable energy for our homes.

Solar Panel

Solar panels consist of modules that contain solar cells and convert sunlight into direct current (DC) electricity. An inverter within the panel converts the DC power into alternating current (AC) electricity that is used to heat and cool the home, and also operate any home appliance or device.

Solar Panels are a form of active solar power. The term solar panel is used to describe two completely different technologies, both of which generate energy from sunlight, and both of which are packaged in the form of panels:

• a photovoltaic module is used to generate electricity


• a solar thermal collector is used to generate heat (generally hot water)

Solar panels are typically constructed with crystalline silicon, which is used in other industries (such as the microprocessor industry), and the more expensive gallium arsenide, which is produced exclusively for use in photovoltaic (solar) cells.

Other, more efficient solar panels are assembled by depositing amorphous silicon alloy in a continuous roll-to-roll process. The solar cells created from this process are called Amorphous Silicon Solar Cells, or A-si. Solar Panels constructed using amorphous silicon technology is more durable, efficient, and thinner than their crystalline counterparts

For very important solar projects, such as space probes that have to rely on solar energy, very-high efficiency solar cells are constructed from gallium arsenide by a process called molecular beam epitaxy. Solar cells constructed by this process have several p-n junction diodes, each designed to be maximally efficient at absorbing a given part of the solar spectrum. These solar panels are much more efficient than conventional types, but the process and materials involved make them far too expensive for everyday applications.

The newest solar panels function on the molecular or quantum level, and represent an exciting new technology coming into play. These solar panels are created by implanting carbon nanotubes or quantum dots into a treated plastic. Unlike silicon-based solar panels, these solar panels do not have to be constructed in a clean room, and therefore production costs are somewhat diminished.

Power production

In direct sunlight at the surface of the equator, a maximally efficient photovoltaic cell about 1/5m in diameter creates a current of approximately 2 amps at 2 volts, however, due to the Earth's atmospheric interference, terran solar panels will never perform as well as solar panels exposed directly to the sun's rays.

Solar hot water panel

Solar hot water panels are a means to harness the sun's energy in a unique way. Like traditional solar panels, solar hot water panels are placed in direct sunlight, oftentimes arrayed on rooftops. A solar hot water array often referred to as a solar hot water heater, uses the energy from the sun to heat a fluid, which is in turn used to move heat generated in the array to a heat storage vessel. The process starts by heating a body of sanitized water and storing it in a hot water cylinder. Next, solar hot water panels would be installed on the rooftop, each with a darkly-coated absorber plate complete with water circulation tubes.

The tubes carry the heated water from the solar water heater to a place where it can be used or stored. A heat exchanger released heat and circulates the cooled water back to the solar hot water array to be reheated. This cycle of heating, energy utilization, and cooling is begun anew with each sunrise and lasts throughout the day for the effective life of the solar hot water heater. These arrays are especially useful for businesses that utilize large quantities of hot water, such as the pictured Laundromat.

Solar hot water heaters are composed of a several hot water panel units, and can be fully automated systems.

Glazette’s First Expert Chat Session: A Summary

January 29th, 3 pm: TM Gopikrishnan & Subhrangsu Ghosh, Marketing and Technical Managers at Saint-Gobain Glass India hosted an Expert Chat Session, the first of its kind on Glazette.

The participation strength was fair, with 15 users online at any point in time between 3 and 5 pm on that Friday, shooting away their questions about Fire Safety Glass, its uses, applications, advantages, and so on. The managers found it rather hard to keep up; but did a good job nevertheless, encouraged by the volume and quality of questions!

The most active participants were architects, and it was heartening to see that fire safety, an aspect of building architecture that was not given due importance in the past, is now considered a hygiene factor during construction. This was evident by the kind of questions asked. The depth of knowledge about fire safety glass as well as other fire-resistant construction material was appreciable.

Questions included those about the duration of fire resistance offered by fire rated glass, the use of rubber and vinyl coverings for fire escape handrails, comparison between metal and glass fire doors, and so on. Vishwas, an architect with Neeraj Manchanda Architects in Delhi, was an enthusiastic and informed participant, from whom several questions came. Also part of the session was D Krishna Kumar, an engineer with CPWD.

Certain questions which were not relevant to the subject were also asked, those on LEED being among them. Though the fire glass experts were able to answer LEED-related questions to a certain extent, further questions were redirected to glazette.com.

New participants kept entering the chat room, and roughly 25 of them were part of the Expert Chat between 3 and 5 pm. The questions kept pouring in non-stop, and it was only at 4.30 pm that the experts got a breather when the speed and volume of questions started declining! The experts were patient and approachable, and had unquestionable and profound knowledge on the subject.

All in all, the Expert Chat Session was well-received by all parties involved. Glazette thanks Saint-Gobain Glass India, Mr. TM Gopikrishnan and Subhrangsu Ghosh, the portal members, visitors and the back office team for the success of the session.

Glazette will shortly be collecting feedback from the participants on various aspects of the session. From the opinions collected, Glazette shall strive to improve, innovate and use similar platforms for dissemination and exchange of knowledge and expertise on glass.

Bid for speedy completion of new Assembly green rating process

The consultant in charge of the green ratings for the new Assembly complex will request the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) to expedite the process of review of the green aspects of the project.

This would make way for speedy completion of the green rating process and announce the LEED certification during the inauguration of the Assembly building on March 13. “If the IGBC accepts the request to expedite the rating process, it will be definitely possible to announce the rating on March 13,” said Deepa Sathiaram of En3 Sustainability Solutions, the green consultant of the project. “A few specifications to be used for construction of the green building have to be documented. It will be completed shortly,” she added. A few interior materials for the building are still in the process of procurement, she said.

The building is likely to be the largest governmental green building in India. Special glazing work on the Assembly building is part of the green measures. It has been registered for rating under the category of ‘LEED India for New Construction,’ which is a green building rating system that helps to guide and design high-performance commercial buildings which include offices, retail and service establishments, institutional buildings and buildings of four or more habitable stories.

Software simulations are being prepared for energy and lighting calculation and analysis, she said. Calculations pertaining to water consumption in the building, test reports and data sheets for materials used in the green building and drawings for site related items will be readied shortly, said Ms. Sathiaram. After a formal audit of the building by IGBC the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green building certification would be awarded.

SOURCE : THEHINDU

Saint-Gobain Rewarded For Green Practices

Saint-Gobain Glass India (SGGI) has always championed the cause of not just socially responsible but also of environment-friendly business practices. In recent times, this fact has been reinforced by Saint-Gobain receiving 2 awards from Confederation of Indian Industries (CII):

• National Award for Water Management as an Excellent Water-Efficient Unit


• National Award for Innovative Case Study for Water Management

Both these awards were received for the Saint-Gobain Glass India World Glass Complex located at Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu. The sprawling 177-acre facility showcases the Company’s commitment to investing in state of the art, world class manufacturing facilities whose hallmark is efficient as well as effective use of natural resources and energy. Indeed, sustainability and eco-friendliness is truly the company’s motto, given that their portfolio of glass products also caters to the needs of green architecture.

The Effort

The Integrated Quality, Environment, Occupational Health & Safety Policy of SGGI clearly brings out the company’s single-minded commitment to protecting the environment through a Consistent Monitoring, Continual Improvement and Environmental Risk Management process. The Integrated Management System certification obtained under QMS, EMS and OHSAS enshrines the above policy.

The following diagram illustrates the Water Management approach at SGGI:

The monitoring & reviewing of the Water Management process at SGGI is performed at all levels, right from the Shift Engineer to the Corporate Delegation.

The Results

All this effort has yielded significant and measurable result. The per capita consumption of water has come down from 140 litres/day in 2006-’07 to 85 litres/day in 2008-’09. Also on the decline is the generation of waste water - while 2006-’07 saw 92,652 kilolitres/day of waste water, 83,371 was the corresponding figure for 2008-’09.

Zero Water Discharge concepts is being applied whereby water is recycled and reused to the extent possible, beyond which it is put to non-industrial use as well. Over the 10 years of its existence, the SGGI World Glass Complex has nurtured 15,000 trees, 12 acres of lawn and 5 acres of foliage.

Awareness and consciousness towards the environment has also actively been spread by company representatives throughout the society; both to families, local communities as well as school children.

Environment, Health and Safety Initiatives have been taken for the local community as well. De-silting of local lakes, building of water channels and provision of water-efficient sanitation facilities are among these initiatives.

All in all, Water Management is a step in the right direction; a truly commendable and desirable effort on the part of Saint-Gobain Glass India.

Swelling Glass Cleans Toxins In Water

A new glass material engineered by Dr. Paul Edmiston at the College of Wooster has the ability to clean polluted water by absorbing contaminants like a sponge. “Swelling Glass” – glass that swells up like a sponge – could be the key to cleaning up contaminated groundwater. Dubbed “Obsorb”, the material absorbs volatile molecules in water like fuel oil and solvents without sucking up the water itself.

Apart from having unusually useful properties, Obsorb is cheap to implement. It's a reactive glass, allowing it to bind with gasoline and other pollutants containing volatile organic compounds, but it's also hydrophobic, so it doesn't bind with water. So it acts like a “smart” sponge, capable of picking and choosing from contaminated groundwater. Put together like a nano-matrix, the new glass can unfold to hold up to eight times its weight. Once the Obsorb material is full, it floats to the surface and pollutants can be skimmed off. Afterwards, it can be dropped back into the water and reused hundreds of times.

The substance could revolutionize groundwater pollution clean-up because it's relatively low cost and has the ability to rid a site of VOCs that other conventional cleaning methods can't.

Absorbent Materials is well on its way to make Obsorb commercially available. The glass material is currently being tested in pilots across the US, and venture development group Jumpstart LLC recently invested $250,000 in the product. With 4,000 priority contamination sites in the US alone, Obsorb stands to make a big impact on the quality of our water. Obsorb’s unique properties make it ideal for low tech, low-budget cleanups in developing areas as well.

Groundwater Pollution

However, swelling glass is also hydrophobic, meaning that it does not bond with water. At a recent pilot demonstration in Ohio, Obsorb was used in the form of a white powder to suck up a plume of TCE (a volatile organic compound). TCE is particularly difficult and expensive to clean up using conventional means, which is the reason why some contaminated sites are simply shut down, allowing the vapors to dissipate naturally. The process takes decades, so Obsorb is a reactive glass. Unlike conventional glass, it can bond with the chemicals it encounters. However, it is also hydrophobic, meaning that it does not bond with water. Obsorb could provide a low-cost means of recovering sites more quickly.

Low Cost Clean-up

Once full, Obsorb floats to the surface, where it can be skimmed off with something as simple as a coffee filter. After that the pollutants can be retrieved and the glass can be reused hundreds of time. Nano-particles of iron can also be added to convert TCE or PCE (another volatile organic compound) into harmless substances. As a low cost form of cleanup, swelling glass could provide site remediators with yet another in the growing list of non-conventional cleanup tools along with lactate, vitamin B-12, and even cattails.

Elegant Glazing of Capital Gate Tower

Abu Dhabi will be home to one of the world's great buildings - Capital Gate, an iconic and avant-garde building that blends the beauty of the wave with the power of technical advancement.

Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC) has revealed that glazing work on the iconic Capital Gate Tower, currently under construction next to Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, is almost complete. This “Capital Gate” has been designed by the New York firm RMJM architects.

Capital Gate forms the focal point of Capital Centre, the business and residential micro city being developed by ADNEC around the thriving Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre. When fully complete, Capital Gate will feature the 5-star hotel - 'Hyatt at Capital Centre' besides playing host to some of the most exclusive office space in the UAE capital. The Capital Gate is a 160m-tall leaning tower in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

The architecture of the Capital Gate tower is dotted with monster glass panels. Monster glass panels for Abu Dhabi’s 'leaning tower' development have arrived on what the project team claims is the world’s biggest flat bed truck. The panels are for the Capital Gate building, which architect RMJM recently submitted for the Guinness Book of Records as the ‘world’s most inclined building’. It has a tilt of 18 degrees – over four times more than the Italy’s Leaning Tower of Pisa.

More than 12,500 individually shaped glass panels have been installed on Capital Gate's façade in a complex engineering feat which has taken ADNEC and its construction partners ten months to complete. In an intricate operation, 728custom-made glass panels have been used. Each pane of glass had to be a slightly different shape and fitted at a different angle due to the building's unique lean and its curved profile. The first two glazing panels are weighing approximately 5 tonnes each.

The tower's unique shape and character made the installation of the glazing particularly challenging for our engineers. It is a compliment to all involved that the installation took place during ADNEC's busiest year ever for exhibitions and events; yet, there was no disruption to the visitors or exhibitors.

The glass panes on Capital Gate make up more than 700 larger glass "diamonds," and were manufactured in the United Sates with the steel frames holding the glass precision-cut in Austria before being shipped to the UAE. ADNEC stored the glass panels away from the construction site and delivered them as needed, on enormous flatbed trucks. Once they reached the Capital Gate construction site they were meticulously placed into the correct position by on-site engineers.

The RMJM project team is using the glass to create a new kind of glazing system called ‘Cardinal C240’, which is anti-glare but also highly transparency. The glass used is a highly energy-efficient and low 'e' category glass. This glass has two silver coatings which minimise glare and maximise light transmission. The double glazed façade will allow natural daylight into the building while boosting energy efficiency and shielding users from harmful glare.The use of this advanced variety of glass is a 'first' for the UAE. The 'pressure-plate' system that has been developed for the steel frame which holds each pane in place guarantees the water tightness of the façade and allows thinner panes of glass to be used, thereby reducing the weight of the glazing system.

The lean and curve of the building added considerable complexity to the glazing process. A few glass panes have deliberately been left out to ensure that adequate ventilation exists prior to the installation of the air conditioning.

Due to its unique shape, Capital Gate is being constructed on top of a concrete raft with a dense mesh of reinforced steel. The steel Diagrid sits above an extensive distribution of 490 piles that have been drilled 30m underground to accommodate the gravitational and wind loads. The angles and dimensions of the building facade have been meticulously designed to ensure that each individually shaped panel accurately defines the shape of this magnificent structure.