With the new EgeTrans headquarters, large-format glass surfaces, some with a very special angle of inclination, were to be installed on the façade and in the interior. In the interior, the glass walls should also have fire-resistant and fall-proof qualities, all in all a great challenge in glass production. Individual custom-made products from Promat made the client's ideas feasible and the project could be implemented according to plan.
Atrium as an optical highlight
Architect Dieter Eger planned a representative building, the heart of which is a spacious inner atrium. This includes a reception area and the company restaurant, and is also used for customer meetings, conferences and general meetings. This extravagant Multifunctional room on 200 m² floor space bears the name "ATR/UM". With a room height of 17.5 m, it extends from the ground floor to the 4th floor and can be seen on three sides from the surrounding offices and the staircase. Everything is designed to be free, open and flooded with light.
Lightness designed with glass
Only the generous use of high-quality glass, both on the façade and in the interior, could create the desired transparency and meet the client's design requirements. Large-format, optically frameless glass walls were required to reflect a certain lightness. A special 17-degree angle, a feature of the new corporate design from EgeTrans that is recognisable in the logo and the name "ATR/UM", for example, also flowed into the spatial planning considerations.
The outer façade, for example, was partly arranged at an angle of 17 degrees. In addition, this inclination was also taken up conceptually in the interior, especially around the atrium. In addition to all these requirements for the glass to be used, the issue of fire protection also had to be taken into consideration, mainly in the case of office and staircase glazing, as these were separate fire compartments which had to be secured in accordance with the latest fire protection requirements.
Due to the planned room-high glazing and the deliberate renunciation of railings, fall protection was also an important aspect.
Special designs to meet high requirements
Large surface area and filigree, fire-resistant and fall-proof despite trapezoidal shape: The desired glass should have many properties, which entailed an enormous processing effort. In standard production, it is not possible to manufacture this type of glass construction.
Promat, the market leader when it comes to individual production of fire-resistant glass, was able to convince with its solution. For the four-storey stairwell, large-format all-glass walls without glass dividing profiles were produced, which were fall-proof and fire-resistant for 90 minutes. The fire protection experts used a total of 50 m² of F1-90 system glass. A glazing height of over 3 m made this particularly stable material necessary.
In the office area, Promat used fire-retardant F1-30 all-glass walls on all three floors. The F1-30 system glass covered an area of 75 m². This included elaborately manufactured trapezoidal panes for the office walls.
One vertical side was formed in each case in a special 17-degree angle. According to the architect, the glazing beads should take up as little glass space as possible and were therefore manufactured in an extra narrow version, namely 25 × 25 × 2 mm. These strips are now only half as wide as conventional retaining strips for glass walls and still fire-resistant for up to 120 minutes.
All in all, the slanted glass panes account for 20% of all the panes installed by Promat in this project.
Every well-thought-out glass detail contributes to the fact that the atrium lives up to its name and ultimately strengthens EgeTrans in its positive image.
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