Wicona profiles made of Hydro Circal 75R aluminium were also used for the façade of Mercator One in Duisburg.
GW News recently spoke to Dr Werner Jager, who as Managing Director at Wicona is in charge of the technology segment. Among other things, we wanted to know from him how the market accepts the Hydro Circal 75R, a sustainable aluminium alloy made from recycled aluminium. He also provides information on the role 3D printing of facade nodes plays in the realisation of free-form facades and, last but not least, what Wicona earns its money with.
GW News - Mr Jager, how does Wicona earn its money today?
Dr Werner Jager - We earn our money as a system provider for facades. This means that we make developments that define all the necessary materials in the facade system, as well as the associated processes. Furthermore, we define the necessary processing means so that the fabricators can independently produce their own facades with our systems.
The term system is based on the fact that we try to produce as many (different) facade solutions as possible from a limited number of articles, using standard parts. We are constantly working on this and try to optimise our facade systems more and more so that the metalworker can produce a maximum of possibilities for his customers.
GW News - Are you satisfied with your system and the associated series and products?
Dr Jager - Well, I think we are doing quite well. The art behind a successful system is that - no matter which product series is installed - the same processing sequences can be guaranteed as far as possible during further processing. Our goal is that metal and facade constructors can process all our systems with little effort.
GW News - How is your recycling project with the Hydro Circal 75R developing ?
Dr Jager - A key aspect of our corporate culture is to find ways to minimise our footprint on the environment. Our parent company, Hydro, recognised early on that recycling of raw materials is an important issue that can become a mainstay of the company. That is why we have been trying to recycle aluminium streams for some time. In terms of resources, we are increasingly moving away from the traditional bauxite mine (where the raw material for aluminium production is extracted) towards the urban mine, i.e. the recycling of aluminium from old facades. This development also reflects the increasing growth of cities worldwide.
Aluminium can be recycled endlessly and with the same quality. And the same quality as primary aluminium is given with Hydro Circal 75R in our circuit.
Matthias Rehberger
GW News - Sustainable is one thing, but what about the quality of the recycled aluminium?
Dr Jager - Aluminium can be recycled endlessly and with the same quality. And the same quality as primary aluminium is given with Hydro Circal 75R in our cycle. This means that the growing requirements for facades, windows and doors made of aluminium can be met. Especially for new buildings in the commercial and residential sectors, facade systems are in demand that (can) also score points in building certification, and generally speaking, building owners increasingly want sustainable buildings. And this is where Hydro Circal 75R scores.
GW News - About two years ago you closed the material loop with your own recycling plant in Germany, what does this plant do?
Dr Jager - Our recycling plant for used aluminium from window and facade scrap has been active in Dormagen since 2019. There we recover around 20,000 t of aluminium annually, which is then fed directly back into our production of window and facade profiles. From 2022, we will increase capacities to 60 000 t per year. And that is just the beginning, our parent company Hydro wants to increase capacities to over 100 000 t/year in the near future. In parallel, intensive development work is underway to further minimise the carbon footprint in the extraction of primary and recycled aluminium. Our goal is carbon-free aluminium production.
GW News - What role will 3D printing play in facade construction in the future?
Dr Jager - The possibilities of 3D parametric optimisation of building envelopes require new approaches in facade construction. In short: out of 2D, into the third dimension. 3D printing of components will enable us in facade construction to implement flowing geometries for the building envelope in a simplified way in metal construction. For this purpose, the necessary nodes are then created in 3D printing, which (can) accommodate the complexity of the geometries, so that the facade builders can continue to work with extrusion profiles as before. In this way, more diverse facade shapes can then also be implemented economically.
Such building envelopes can then become part of urban planning if their geometry has a positive effect on the urban climate, for example by reducing sound emissions and increasing comfort in urban spaces for users.
The interview was conducted by Matthias Rehberger.
What is behind Hydro Circal 75R?
This is a sustainable aluminium alloy made from recycled aluminium with an end-of-life recycled content of at least 75 per cent. The basis for Hydro Circal 75R is recycled aluminium scrap obtained from old facade and window elements.
With this and the associated recycling chain, including its own recycling plants (e.g. in Dormagen near Cologne), Wicona has been able to significantly reduce the overall CO2 footprint of its facade profiles, which in turn has a very positive effect on building certification. Worldwide, Hydro Circal 75R thus makes a decisive contribution to supporting Cradle to Cradle and BREEAM certifications of buildings and raising them to a high level (e.g. Platinum or Gold).
At Hydro's recycling plant in Dormagen, up to 36 000 t of scrap can be sorted annually. In a complex production process (shredding, separating, sorting, melting), the end-of-life aluminium is processed in such a way that it can be used again for the production of high-quality aluminium profiles.
The recycling cycle is regularly inspected and certified by the independent testing body DNV-GL to guarantee the 75 % aluminium scrap content. A|U|F is involved as a recycling partner.
Wicona
More efficient: 3D-printed facade nodes allow conventional extruded facade profiles to be perfectly coupled.
