The Tower of Krion

Hi, I confess that on this trip I did not go looking for a place in particular to construct my future building (that will be amazing, clear) and, however, I found with one of the most appropriate. It is in the island of San Patrick, which is reached by the Island of Man, an Odyssey. The best of the island is the Castle Peel reconstructed recently, which it does not happen with the Cathedral of Saint Germain, which gives worth to see her, but when I have situated in front of she, I thought: "here you have an interesting challenge Rodolfo: restore the elegance to these ruins".

I have always thought that by many technological developments achieved, the human beings they should behave like the famous character of Tarzan of the monkeys, you know, from the novel written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, he is best known for the films directed by Woody Strong Van Dyke and starring by Johnny Weissmüller, in other words: we took advantage of the nature and she takes advantage also of us. I believe that the promoters want this for the future building that I present today.

Eleventh Stop: The Tower of Krion®

It has begun the construction in april of the Tower Yung Ding Guo Ji, in Qingdao, Shandong, China. It's an office building designed by the architecture studies of Ruiz-Larrea & Associates (RLA) and OSA, the authors themselves propose to address the deficit of nature existing in the cities with the incorporating the nature in buildings, beautiful task. So I've decided that no I will remove the eyes to this construction, in addition, they use a material very interesting in its facade.

But let's go by parts, the idea that prevails is the environmental adaptation and the respect for the existing built environment, therefore the main body is of average height, with a scale similar to the buildings nearby, the great tower is the milestone of the project. The future building adopts strategies of energy efficiency based on the thermal insulation, the shading (leveraging the shadows of external volumes to avoid overheating), the acoustic insulation, and, the icing on the cake, the conditioning of central spaces by a geothermal system that will cool the air inside the building, thus making act as a refrigerator. The inclusion of skylights to be opened to allow the hot air to escape and take lighting and ventilation natural that allows contact with the outside.

The building will also incorporate numerous vegetation in different parts of the construction, as in the different green roofs that have been projected, apart from the natural zones included in areas of the interior and the exterior. Before I have spoken of the material that I interest me, good, it is none other than the Krion ® that will be placed in the facade, this facade is inspired in nature and is equipped with solar installations.

The facade is made up of a network formed by the krion® (solid surface) of the Spanish company Porcelanosa, actually this material belongs to one of its subsidiaries, Systempool S.A. the network of krion®  serves as the sunscreen by the shading in the glazed areas, of course, they have taken into account the different use of the Interior rooms to establish the separation between the large vertical "panels".

Krion® the solid surface of Porcelanosa

This material has the advantages of a material of laboratory, created through the merger of natural minerals (two-thirds) and resins of high resistance. These advantages are: lack of pores, antibacterial, hardness, resistance, ease of repair, low maintenance and easy to clean. It working in sheets of regular format (different dimensions and thicknesses) and joined by hot melt, allowing the creation of elements without joints, you does not believe that anyone person can use this material: only installers certified by the company Systempool S.A., which is beneficial to the buyer.

The specific quality to be able to use this material in one facade must be: the inalterability under adverse weather condicions, as well, from the parent company inform us that it is a covering with a perfect performance against the sudden changes in temperature, forehead to situations of high humidity or in areas with arid climates. The restraint system to the main structure of the building is very important, in this regard, the company works with Butech Bliss Co. and ensure us a proper fixing.

Finally, two details juicy: the artificial nature of the Krion®  assures us a wide range of colors, and this same nature, makes a recyclable material 100%, and reprocessed again and reintroduced into the production cycle.

It is early to visit this building finished, but I will inform me of how it evolves, I love "supervise", you know it. Bye bye.

The Ice House

Hello, in my pursuit of a beautiful island with the intention of building my future edification, I found this pearl that I want that you know... it's the Cook Island, which is the southernmost of the islands called "the South Sandwich Islands" and which is being disputed by two countries: the United Kingdom and the Republic Argentina... maybe I, Rodolfo, I win them! Mind you, due to its geographical situation is completely frozen, this is not a handicap to build, do not believe me? You keep reading...

In places like this I feel like Frank Sinatra, "The voice", singing "Stranger in the night", it is a very nice feeling, very similar to that touches me in the christmas of this year, and is that I have decided to spend the good night surrounded by the fiercest enemy of mankind: the ice, don't believe me? This is that you never have heard of the ICEHOTEL, and with him, of the material that you would have never imagined as a construction element: the ice.

The Tenth Stop: The Ice House

The occasion is unique since this year marks the 25th anniversary of the creation of this Hotel, in Sweden, I cannot remember the name of the village... could it be Jukkasjärvi? The hotel is built every year due to the "curious" property which has this material: it melts with some heat, but this makes it even more interesting and unique. This same property allows (or forces, depending how you look) to the owners of the IceHotel hire each year to the builders and the different artists to build up this place, a detail, you do not lie twice in the same bed.

For lovers of the data, we can say that the Icehotel occupying over 5,500 square meters and 1,000 tons of ice from the Torne river are required for its construction (selected between March and April and stored in cold, obviously, until the moment of its use), are also used 30,000 tonnes of "snice", a mixture of snow and ice that strengthens the structure (particles of ice from the Torne river with air "snice" that resembling snow because is white and is used for insulation, mind you, the snice is stronger and purer that snow). The building is built between October and December of each year and takes approximately eight weeks to be completed, the preparatory and subsequent works take six weeks each period.

The artists are a part of the construction process since it is half of the staff, this year has been artists from Sweden, Spain, Switzerland, Poland, Japan and Argentina, among others. We take into account that these artists have to plan before, during and after construction work, so it they must live with the work, but their real Prize comes next, with the opening of the hotel to the public.

As curious (it seems to me) the owners of the place have protected the Icehotel and their structures by the law of rights of author of Sweden, although here among us, I don't think that there is so much competition worthy of concern...

Of course, as it could not be otherwise, the Icehotel offers all kind of inconceivable activities elsewhere: see the North light in snowmobile, dogsled, looking out the window of a plane the spectacular white landscape, skiing in the Swedish mountains, something to do, seeing the whales that gather in Norway in the autumn. Icehotel also offers modern meetings, conference and exciting events throughout the year. They organize product launches, concerts and major events... whatever it takes to the client!

Snice

The ice, as we all know, it is water frozen at very low temperatures, and the water is one of the few materials that if it freezes it increase their volume and decrease its density. It is distinguished by being white or colorless vitreous, transparent, with conchoidal fracture and have a hardness of 1.5 on the Mohs scale (to get an idea is between talc and gypsum).

Due to the unique characteristics of the ice, the construction is very specific, it is build of oval shape to make easier the transmission of stress and, ironically, more fluid. It is a lightweight material, so not going to worry much by the foundations, and we will not have to worry by the "damps" (sorry... I could not avoid the joke!). When the ice melts, the building not collapses; it is a beautiful phenomenon: walls become gradually thinner and more transparent, making the light take place in a more direct way.

The snice is an intermediate product between the snow and ice. Its use is as mortar between the blocks of ice as it strengthens the structure and allows the elements will not collapse more quickly. It is white, soft and melts in the mouth.

I leave you with the healthy envy that defines at humans and I promise that I will enjoy of a very intense Christmas... and white! Bye bye.

The Green Roof

Hi, I have recently visited the Faroe Islands, you know, which are famous for the festival of hunting whales and dolphins. When I was there, I toured the only island that I had not seen yet: the island Koltur. This island is only accessible with helicopter and the landscape is completely sublime, I have spoken with the only family residing there for if I decide to build on its shores, I like that the access is only by air!!

My cousin was started me in the helicopter flight, he is aeronautical engineer; I know that you will say that you have not seen him in magazines but... he does not like the press! (he does not seem of the family) Anyway, as I said, he explained the real story of how Juan de la Cierva y Peñafiel invented the autogyro, a forerunner of the helicopter, I, Rodolfo, I looked absorbed the "small" city of Vancouver when I discovered a unique cover and... How I describe it? Green! Very green!

Ninth Stop: Convention Center of Vancouver

In fact, from the air it didn't look exactly a cover, it looked a garden, a green and beautiful garden (a little crazy, true). Already, when i arrived to the city, I did was to inform me about all the details of the building. It turned out that the creators were the architecture firm LMN and that the final cost of the construction were 804 million dollars (645 million euros... not bad eh?). But... what could incite an expenditure of this caliber? A great event, of course, and this was the choice of the city of Vancouver in 2003 as a venue for the Olympic and Paralympic Games for the year 2010.

When I spoke with some architects, they released me a litany about the seamless integration of this Convention Center of Vancouver with the environment and the city creating a seamless transition between the urban fabric, the port, the recreational activities and the nature (is that possible?). I do not doubt that they say the true, but I'll take the feeling of serenity and dynamism that generates this building inside and outside of his walls.

The building has 1.1 million square meters (almost nothing), and next to him exists parks of trails, roads for cyclists, open spaces and squares, parkings, a viaduct of six lanes for vehicles and two pedestrian walkways that connect it with the Convention Center original and a new hotel. But apart from "our garden roof" the building has several improvements that have made that it achieved the LEED Platinum of Canada and other ten Awards and national and International recognitions.

To begin with, the building is "hanging" over the water from 40 to 99% of the surface, depending on the tides, so if they formed an underwater habitat using concrete in the form of bleachers, in other words they have created an artificial reef under of the construction! With only $ 8.2 million... Incredible. To continue, a system of treatment of sewage and desalination supplies the toilets, the fountains outdoor and, of course, "our green roof", in short: everything that does not require drinking water. Finally, they utilizes a heat pump of sea water to cool or heat the building, this will cover most of the needs of heating and cooling that are capable of demanding users.

The Green roof

“Our green roof” has 6 acres (24,281 square meters) and it is not accessible for the pedestrians, although I would be lying if I tell you that I could not visit the roof... The roof reduces the gain of heat in summer up to 95% and the loss of heat in winter by 26%, and also retains rainwater through a system of channels of edges at an angle that zigzags; this creates greater opportunities for the absorption of rainwater. It has 400,000 native plants, this allows that they nest many species of birds and is home to a colony of 60,000 bees (do not touch). I was amazed to see what ready they were to use the natural cycle of herbs to combine its colors, giving a triangular composition surprising and interesting.

When we use the garden roof we improve the thermal insulation, we expel less CO2 into the atmosphere, we reduce the negative effect that can cause the strong rainfall on our roof, we insulate acoustically much better than with any other type of cover, we reduce the consumption of air conditioning and heating, and also we are an active part of the environment generating ourselves positive moods.

As unique disadvantages we can be found two: the overweight of the building, especially in the days of rain in which the substrate absorbs water and increases its weight significantly, and the demand these surfaces of constant and effective maintenance, the plants, as we said, have a cycle of concrete life.

However, although the Convention Centre of Vancouver is a spectacular building, the garden roof reach its better and greater performance in the single family dwellings (of one or two plants) because its positive effects have an impact on a higher percentage in the construction and the comfort that generate.

So you do not have any excuse not to include a garden roof in your next construction, I, for my part, I see essential. Bye bye.

The ETFE Skin

Hi, the people say that the irony does not understand of pleasures, only understand of revenge. I don't think so; I think that the irony is a means of expression as any other, in fact, much better than others that we use commonly, such as arrogance, for example. I am not ironic when I tell that I would love to make a building in the Bouvet Island than is the most isolated of the world (do not believe me? Look at the Atlas).

Should be impressive if we could put ourselves in the skin of a Mafia Boss, as did Marlon Brandon, Robert De Niro or Andy García in the famous series "The Godfather" of Francis Ford Coppola, you do not be afraid, but I, Rodolfo, I could put me in situation, in terms of economic well-being of course, as to be an outcast of the law... No. But speaking of skins, today I bring you a very special skin for our buildings; I speak of a skin of ETFE (or plastic).

Eighth stop: the ETFE Skin

The skin protects us from external agents, of the knocks and the diseases, protects us from the world, for me, the ETFE is like a skin for the building. The first time I saw "in situ" the material, I was strolling through Barcelona, some friends advised me to visit the MediaTIC, they were sure that I was not going to waste time, and so it was, I owe them a dinner because I did not lose the time and it was also totally profitable.

The building was designed by the architect Ruiz-Geli (see firm architectural e-cloud9) and was promoted by the consortium of the free zone of Barcelona. Basically the construction aims to the encounter between professionals and companies in the sector of the digital world and new technologies. The form enveloping is cubic and the structure is made of four cross rigid frames separated 14 meters each other, each gantry has large iron beams ranging from plant 7th to 8th leaving (cannot be otherwise) large workspaces. All the facades of the building are different and have in common the imaginative deployment of the author.

The function of the bags of ETFE is primarily the filter the solar radiation, this bags "swell" of nitrogen when increases the temperature, this process is automatic through a network of light meters with energy autonomic that detect the fluctuation of the degrees Celsius. This skin of 2,500 m² save up to 20% of energy consumption (all a joy for the coffers) and avoids that the atmosphere receive 114 tons of CO2 (carbon dioxide) a year (a joy for the environment).

What is the ETFE?

The Ethylene Tetra Fluor Ethylene is a plastic with high chemical resistance and mechanical (supports 400 times its own weight), very stable to temperature changes, high resistance to UV rays, high transparency, self-cleaning and, as if this were not enough, recyclable. All these features make it a very interesting material in construction but other important question is that its weight is one hundred times less than the weight of the glass, and we know that weight is one of the major handicaps in the architecture. It has an excellent thermal insulation which increases as you add more layers of material (in fact the number of layers optimum is 2 or 3).

Its most curious advantage is that you can "patch up", that is to say if we break a certain area it can repair it by welding with other layers of ETFE.

Among its drawbacks (which also there are) we have that the acoustic protection is very bad and the ETFE is easily damaged by sharp items, although this last can be solved in many different ways.

Future

When it was decided to place about the Allianz Arena the ETFE surely the responsible didn't think in that it would cause the reaction of scientists. The high energy consumption that occurs with the illuminating of this vast surface make that the imagination of the ITMA staff see the light (ironic, no?).

The future of this material is located in Spain, and is that "the boys of the ITMA" (technological Institute of the materials of Asturias) have been proposed as a goal achieve maximum efficiency of this material by combining with nothing more and nothing less than photovoltaic cells and lamps of LEDs (always LEDs), and reduce the high electric spending that suppose the lighting of this plastic by spotlights with colour filters. We would have ETFE with lighting almost free... I cry of joy!

The project is so interesting than the European authorities that provide subsidies to the I + D have granted an aid of 2.1 million euros. The project has an initial cost of 3.2 million and has been required the collaboration of the multinational Acciona Infrastructure, the companies manufacturers Taiyo Europe and Solariun and the foundations Greennovate! and CENET-CIEMAT. The staffs of ITMA have four years to show us that they are able... I will be on the lookout!

As always is time of say bye but not before remind you that thanks to my work of research we are at the forefront of the construction. Is the EU going to thank for my collaboration? Bye bye.

The Weft of Aluminium

Hi, as I promised I have been reviewing the Atlantic Ocean in search of an island where starting to build. My first stop was in Quebec, in the islands of the Madeleine, they are twelve in total even though only eight are inhabited... I have lots of space to build a beautiful construction!! They have a climate quite soft and... the best are the beaches!, I will like to return there.

Today, with your permission, I am going to make a small literary experiment, as the great writers, such as, for example, Gabriel García Márquez in his famous book "The general in his Labyrinth" whose main character, as you know, is Simón Bolívar. What I propose to is to recount in third person as I discovered the greatness of the following material in my list, the aluminium. You judge by you same if is fiction or reality what I describe below:

Meeting at the airport (seventh stop)

For Rodolfo have to wait, is not an option and, if it were not for the importance of the appointment, perhaps he already had gone to perform other tasks. When their private plane landed in the Cannes-Mandelieu airport, specifically in the hangar 16, he could not imagine how much that he was going to like this experience. The hangar had been designed by the architecture group Comte and Vollenweider which, with a budget of only 15 million of eur, had built this marvel of concrete, wood, glass and aluminum. The total area of the hangar is 3.486 square meters and the offices included in it have 920 of the same unit, in total 4.406 square meters of construction and 6,000 of aeronautical surface.

Rodolfo had travelled in March of the same year at the fair of the wine of Mandelieu - La Napoule but he had not come through the airport, he had used the sailboat of a good friend of French, so he did not know the building, is true that the authorities had invited him to the inauguration, but he did not attended to not overshadow the mayors of the two cities (Cannes and Mandelieu). While the traders were arriving to the meeting, Rodolfo thought that the use of wood in structure was a good idea, it was making triangular lattices with laminated beams supported in solid wood. But, at its criterion, the star of the work was certainly the singular weft consisting of glass and aluminium.

The Weft of Aluminium

When the three traders arrived to the airport (high positions in their companies, two women and a man) Rodolfo knew that the supplier of aluminium profiles was Kawneer, who had also worked in the technical advice that needed this facade, it consisting of triangles and pyramids of glass (diamond points). He realized right away that the solution was basic and complex at the same time: Basic because it was a classic curtain wall (light facade that transmits its load and the thrust of the wind to the adjacent structure) and complex because it has 403 pyramids of triangular base and 403 flat triangles.

The three executives explained their ideas for the business that they had between hands, and Rodolfo listened with patience, but he did not can "to remove the eye" to modular boxes with form of triangle. This had needed six months of work, meetings between the parties, of discipline, of exchange of ideas and much collaboration to devise the operation of the façade (his own meeting seemed it a joke in comparation). But the result was impeccable, the divisions are easily interchangeable if required, the solution enables perfectly the dilatation of each member and the connecting elements are not visible, this makes that the surface look is of glass. The project is perfectly integrated in the landscape of the lower Valley of the river Siagne.

Aluminium

Aluminium is one of the most abundant materials of the Earth, it has many applications: in construction, packaging, transport or decoration. The main advantages are lightness, strength, plasticity and versatility.

This material is extremely malleable; this is a great advantage because with a little effort can be created the most incredible shapes (paper, artistic figures, aluminium profiles most common in the construction...). Another curious advantage is that aluminium will oxidize more quickly than iron, this is an advantage because the oxide layer that forms on the aluminium is transparent and very tough and this prevents that the material can oxidize.

But the most interesting is that the aluminium is a material that, by their qualities, has still defiance for reaching.

I now conclude the experiment of today, but not before you explain that executives were stunned when I showed them my ideas, of course. Bye bye

The Cardboard Structure

Hi, in the eagerness to find a location suitable for my future construction these last few days I have been traveling the Atlantic Ocean. Yes, I know it is soon yet, and I'm only beginning to gather information on materials and construction systems that it help me in the construction... you know I have not patience. I will keep you informed.

In other time, a such Galileo Galilei had demonstrated that all bodies fall at the same speed regardless of their weight (he was contradicting a such Aristotle), I have tried to make a strong structure and costly with a weak and economic material. "Have you gone crazy, Rodolfo?", you may question, but you know that I never would fall in the dementia without to be well illustrated, and in this case, by two Eminences of the architecture. But now we come to the point (as I like this expression!).

The Sixth Stop: The Cardboard Structure

The Japanese Shigeru Ban (prize winner of Pritzker 2014), has several projects in which he has shown us how with a material that it is as economical as the cardboard can do versatile and exquisite structures. Thus, he has delighted us in the Pavilion of Japan of the Expo 2000 in Hanover with a lighter structure that it lets large and bright spaces for the exhibition, in 2005 we were surprised with a structure that solved the cover and the space inside a temporary Museum that toured New York, California, Tokyo and Mexico (there are aircraft that cannot flying even half) and in the year 2012 was the realization of Pavilion Garage in the Gorky Park of Moscow... with a few pillars of cardboard that make you want to hug!!

But my favourite structure of Shigeru Ban is one that was built in 2013 in Madrid, Spain, and which had the collaboration of the studio "Serrano Suñer Arquitectura", also it is important to note that in the task are involved the students of the school of architecture (new blood). The building are "IE Paper Pavilion", a temporary facility that it was made in just twelve weeks and that, although it was intended for the Executive Education activities, also has hosted of several events as "ELLE Talks", organized by "ELLE magazine".

The structure is composed by 173 paper tubes joined by knots of wood which, in turn, it rest on columns of cardboard. The surface that covers the Pavilion is 110 m2 with a cover of 30 m2 outdoor. The tongue-and-groove is the union between the cardboard tubes (230 mm in diameter and 20 mm thick) and the laminated wood. The tongue-and-groove: the materials have outgoing and incoming, and with the fit, it forms a perfect union for efforts transmission. The screws give the possibility of quick and easy disassembly. This structure transmits tensions through 30 metallic tensors.

Technology

If I've managed to capture your attention, you do not miss now!, that it come the best!!

The German Michael Hansmeyer has done a cardboard columns with a informatics beauty, and I don't say "informatics" for a whim, I, consciously, I say this and I explain why. Michael is an architect and programmer, with the combining their two skills has created a column using an algorithmic system (ordered set of operations to find the solution to a problem) and a computer program, clear.

We will imagine that we fold a sheet of paper into four parts, and then we do the same again, and again and... come a time in which the chances of design are thousands if we cut those layers by different zones and stack. Mr Hansmeyer and his team has made this, basically, they make subdivisions in layers of cardboard of 1mm wide, then stack along of an axis and thus they create columns that are impossible to create handmade, and impossible to imitate.

The cardboards were cut by three laser cutters operating in parallel, in total it did more of 20 kilometers of cuts. The columns have 2,70 meters high and are consist of 2700 units. I challenge you to do an identical freehand drawing...

The Cardboard

The best of the cardboard is that it is an economical material, easy to replace, is a basic material and that it generates no residues. Its industrialization is so widespread that you can practically to find factories engaged to the manufacture of this material in any region of the world.

The necessary tests when using the rolls of cardboard as a structure in construction are the water absorption of the material, the resistance to compression and traction test and the resistance tests to torsion. Fundamental: the cardboard tends to the absorption of fluids, so it will be essential a protective varnish.

At this point I guess that you have guessed my idea: create a structure whose base is of cardboard and whose forms are modeled with the algorithmic system of the subdivision. Really, would you not like one as well? I'll have one, sure. Bye bye.

The Glass Dome

Hi, I know that you believe to know everything about me, it is not in vain, my face is well known in the communications media, my family has been in magazines since the creation of the printing and our friends are everywhere. I created one of these friendships while I lived in one of the family mansions, it located in the glorious and powerful city of Rome.

By then (as a poet would say) I, Rodolfo, was obsessed with the second reading of a book very peculiar and known: Moby Dick. One afternoon, I said a stranger in a fit of anger all what really I thought about the Captain Ahab and the crew of the Pequod, the stranger turned out to be a wonderful architect, the peerless Massimiliano Fuksas, the designer of the project that converge with other material worthy of praise and, therefore, worthy of being part of my constructive travelogue.

The Fifth Stop: The Glass Dome.

All starts when Benetton acquired the former Palace of the military Union in Rome and my friend Massimiliano is hired for reform and rehabilitation of the building. The name have given to the intervention is "The flashlight" since the rehabilitation has been carried out with a structure of steel and glass that it runs through the four floors of the building, from the ground floor up to the terrace, with panoramic view of the dome of the Basilica of San Ambrosio and Carlo al Corso, reason why I have decided to rename it and I call it "The Glass dome", do you like most?

The restoration of the building exterior has been very respectful and has focused on the rescue of the original elements, this give a contemporary touch to construction through the placement of outdoor lighting, this improvement the façade and the aesthetic characteristics. Fuksas has used the white (a bright white as few) as a main color in the interior and which serves as the enhancement of the decoration based on "bubbles" of different sizes and colors from violet to the reddish tones. There is a display of imagination and talent on tables, desks, puf, exhibitors, inside mirrors ovals... You don't miss the "furnitures" for the clothes! I particularly loved the staircase rungs of glass with LED lighting (because you know that I am a lover of the original stairs).

But in this work, there is not doubt that the star intervention is the flashlight that it connects visually the four floors and consists of a steel structure that it twists through combination of its triangular crystals. Inside you can buy the last novelty of H & M and you can scrutinize the windows trying to discover if there are two equal triangles. On the first floor or terrace you can enjoy of 300 square metres of panoramic restaurant. And from the outside you can admire the brilliance of glass that leaves no one indifferent.

Glass.

To such an extent reaches the beauty and the exquisiteness of "The flashlight" that the supplier of glass, Tvitec, has been awarded with the prize for the glass more representative of 2013 in the use of Isolar products, granted by Isolar Glas, the largest Association of independent manufacturers of glass insulating in Europe.

The Tvitec company has supplied for this work 1,800 square meters of laminate glass and of double glazing. In total, the structure account with extra complexity for the manufacturing, it can be seen with the naked eye, the parts used are of different sizes and of triangular forms (more than 1,500 units), which makes the process of cutting and sorting have caracteristics of craftsmanship. The maximum height of the dome is 7,50 meters, although in the original project had 3.00 meters, but the Roman authorities did not allow and I do not know why...

The glass is, without doubt, the material that has most influenced our way of understanding the building during the history of mankind. Thanks to it we can make metal towers or give the light to stone buildings, we can lighten loads and even distribute with elegance. It is a material which isolates us from the outside and, at the same time, it allows us to contemplation of what happens outside the walls. It is translucent or transparent, is deformable, it is paintable. The glass is synonym of edification and comfort.

Laminated glass and double glazing.

Laminated glass is composed of several sheets of glass linked by an intermediate layer created with polyvinyl butyral (PVB) and resins ethyl-vinyl-acetate (EVA). These glasses are used for their high safety due to its greater resistance, to the filtration of UV radiation, its durability and its wonderful acoustic protection.

The double glazing is consists of two glass separated by a chamber of air or argon with the resulting advantages: savings in costs of energy, reduction of the condensation, the sound insulation and the anti-rupture safety.

For any curious like me, to have many crystals in its construction is, rather than a requirement, an obligation. I have to see it all. Good bye.