Sealing the glass facade: Sasol Corporate Head Office

The flush-glazed unitised curtain wall system on the new Sasol Corporate Head Office in Sandton was sealed with high-performance bonding and sealing solutions from FG Trading.

A durable, secure and efficient facade sealing method was required for one of South Africa’s largest new commercial projects, Sasol’s Corporate Head Office, to ensure compliance with building regulations – particularly with regard to energy efficiency and heat gain.

The building is located at 50 Katherine Street in Sandton, Johannesburg, and is expected to obtain a five-star Green Star rating from the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA).

The facade design

For the building’s facade, Paragon Architects designed a flush-glazed unitised curtain wall system which comprises 4 500 floor-to-ceiling panels of vision glass. Manufactured by Geustyn & Horak, the curtain wall system is a versatile means of producing a facade on high-rise buildings and encompasses aesthetic appeal, control of light and is inherently weather tight, air tight and thermally efficient.

Due to the fact that the facade seal is considered a crucial factor in determining the energy performance and thermal comfort of a building, the sealing method used for the 20 000m² glazing area was of utmost importance.

The sealing solution

For the fabrication of the four-sided structural silicone glazed (SSG) units used within the curtain wall, FG Trading supplied the high-performance SG200 Proglaze II and SG300 Spectrem 2 for bonding the double-glazed units to the perimeter framing. In addition, FS550 Frame and Facade Silicone and ME220 EPDM Membrane were used for weather sealing and waterproofing the interfaces between the curtain walling and structure.

The role of these key product solutions is to sustain the performance of the construction envelope over a multitude of joints and connections which, if not given suitable consideration, could significantly impact the glazing integrity and energy performance of the facade,” states FG Trading’s Laura Strydom.

High-performance range

As the exclusive Southern African distributor of Tremco illbruck products, FG Trading offers an extensive range of top-quality sealing and bonding solutions for reliable and sustainable sealing and bonding of windows, facades and interiors. The range includes sealants, adhesives, tapes and membranes for various specialist applications including structural glazing, IG unit manufacture and weatherproofing.

During the course of 2016, Tremco illbruck sealants and membranes have also been used in various other high-profile construction projects in the Sandton central business district (CBD), including the Webber Wentzel offices, which were completed earlier this year, and the Discovery Global Head Office and Old Mutual Emerging Market Offices, which are still under construction.

Tremco illbruck sealants and membranes are available for specification on AutoSpec as part of the FG Trading product library. “Apart from assisting in product selection, FG Trading also offers specialist advice and technical support, ensuring that our customers gain maximum benefit from using our products,” Strydom concludes.

Source: Walls & Roofs, Journal 1, January/February 2017

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