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Propagating Awareness on Cutting Edge Technology

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Welcoming, pragmatic and informative discussions in a conference sends a positive message to potential customers and draws them into business. That is exactly what is seen in the third session (13th edition) of ZAK World of Facades held at New Delhi on 4th September in the Hyatt Regency Hotel.

ZAK World of Facades, India’s largest and exclusive conference on Facade Design & Engineering, is determined to propagate awareness on the newest cutting edge technology and perspectives that are revolutionizing the field. The conference lays bare a platform for networking, necessary in the professional world.

Iconic façades require all the stake holders to strike the right balance between a host of parameters from conceiving the correct design to specifying the optimum materials and finally putting them together in place to materialize the epochal, vanguard building envelope. With ever increasing population density and destinations getting farther, the demand for the latest and Technology best in technology and quality also has increased. The 3rd season of Zak World of Facades held at New Delhi, brought together a horde of new and efficient façade materials and technologies to entice the minds of the designers and users alike whereby the industry stalwarts tried to bridge the gap between proposed and practical. In its 13th edition, the conference had become a specialized forum in region, and discussed the latest innovations and challenges in the Facade industry.

The event commenced with a warm welcome note by the Zak group. The event convener and host was Tariq Kachwala, Director, of FG Glass Industries. ‘

Session 1 began with a presentation by Sourabh Kankar, RM Architectural, Gujarat Guardian. The topic was “From rendering to reality – Principles of glass selection for façades”. Kankar spoke about solar spectrum vis-à-vis performance and design, sunguard applications and tools and calculators for glass selection. He explained various aspects of energy conservation in buildings by effective control of solar energy through the right coating and glazing, and this is to create a better interior environment as well. He also spoke about the products by his company that could be applied on various surfaces based on climatic conditions, satisfying aesthetic needs, providing better performance, and saving energy.

Dr Prashanth Reddy, MD & CEO, FunderMax India spoke on the “Vitality of

rear ventilated façades”. He discussed high-performance glazing and shading materials. He also explained the proper use of shading materials and how it would help reduce power bills. Conservation of energy, environmental protection and acoustics are also important factors to be considered.

Micha Pawelka, MD, Priedemann Building Envelope Consultants, discussed complex and challenging aspects of façade designs, He also deliberated on various guidance services. He explained various methods to achieve the desired quality façade within the stipulated cost and time and added that inconsistency in design, lack of realistic schedule, inefficient budgeting, and de-motivated façade suppliers are the reasons for complications in design.

Session 2 started with a presentation on the topic “Safety in Facades and Optimum Perimeter Isolation” by KR Suresh, Regional Director, and Axis Façade

. He explained the need to follow fire safety norms and strategies while constructing buildings. His presentation discussed various aspects of fire safety like evacuation methods, fire source detection, fire alarms, crowd management, the need for compartmentalization, etc. As per the National Building Code Fire rated glass should be used in buildings. Quality control of glass is essential for the safety of buildings.

A special keynote speech was given by Jonas Upton-Hansen, Managing Director, Upton Hansen Architects (UHA) London. He spoke on designing façades for the north Indian markets, looking at the cultural, regional, economic, statutory, and performance challenges. He said that façade design is of very low priority for builders and developers at present. The builders are driven by the demand, and hence the developments are very typical and dense in Indian cities. He spoke on the challenges vs opportunities in the façade building segment, cost monitoring, tendering strategies and quality control of facades. He also explained various approaches for designing facades as building ‘USP’ (Unique Selling Point). Jonas elaborated on the need for façade testing and proper review process, and how streamlined façade installations help control the quality of the façade. He presented his firm’s project “Michael Schumacher World Tower” at Gurgaon for Homested as a case study.

 

Antony John, Engineering Director, Schüco India, presented the case study of the Schüco façades at One BKC, Mumbai. He explained the project details and challenges, and the customised solutions by Schüco.

Session 2 saw a panel discussion on “Façades for Sustainable & Energy Efficient Buildings”. The panellists were D Vishwanathan, Director – Design & Projects, RSP India; Amit Kumar Gangal, Principal Architect, Modarch; KR Suresh, Regional Director, Axis Façades; Bharat Soni, VP – Infrastructure, HCL Technologies, Kamlesh Choudhari, Director, Glass Wall Systems and Sanhita Chaturvedi, Director India, UHA London.

The panel discussed many aspects that contribute to the sustainability and energy efficiency of buildings like optimum U-value and shading co-efficient for optimum occupant comfort; use of glass and various permutations for better facades, how to avoid over-designing, façade acoustics – miles and methods, double skin façades and shading techniques and daylight control and light shelving strategies. The session was moderated by Tariq Kachwala, Director, FG Glass.

Session 3 started with an enlightening presentation by Harish Gupta, VP – of Architecture, Glass Wall Systems on Façade lighting. He spoke on LED integrated façades, the value addition that façade lighting brings to a project, and Challenges in the implementation of an LED integrated in a curtain wall. He also presented a case study of the façade lighting at Mondeal Square, Ahmedabad. He showcased many interesting projects too including Kohinoor Square, Wave One etc.

This was followed by an informative and eye-opening presentation by Sharanjit Singh, Chairman, GSC Glass on ‘Spontaneous breakage in tempered glass – Cause and effect’. He discussed the reasons for Spontaneous breakage like impact of load, poor glazing, glass-to-glass contact, glass-to-metal contact, etc. Most of the breakage may not be due to nickel sulphide particles present in the glass, but due to various other reasons including badly tempered glass. Ne has to look for signs of which reason for the breakage. Sharanjit Singh discussed various solutions to avoid the spontaneous breakage of glass too.

Tanuj Sharma, Manager – Railing & Façade, Kinlong India spoke on the topic ‘Taking Facade Solutions to the next level.’ He discussed various aspects including Cable Support Façade, which would be the next big thing. He spoke about various Precautionary measures & recommendations in the selection of hardware for facades on how to bring down the costs. The project, Chong Qing International Airport, (Sichuan) China, was presented as a case study.

Session 3 saw an intensive panel discussion on the topic ”Understanding Façade Process Management – FPM” and the panel members were Micha Pawelka (MD, Priedemann Building Envelope Consultants), Nikhil Jain (Managing Director, Alpro Industries), Pinaki Ranjan Bosu (DVP – Procurement, IREO), Mayank Bhatnagar, Ar. Viswanathan from RSP, Kunal Rishi (VP & Head, Projects & Corporate, Paras Buildtech) and the Moderator was K R Suresh, Regional Director, Axis Facades. The panel debated various factors pertaining to façade deliveries, understanding and mitigating risk, the need for FPM Implementation, players involved and their roles, possible pitfalls and their avoidance and the combined effect of good process management on the bottom line. The need for coordination between the architects, structural and civil engineers, façade consultants, etc. for effective management and façade performance was discussed.

 

Session 4 started with a presentation on ‘’Sealants & PU Foams for fire safety in building facades’’ by Niten Patial, Vice President, McCoy Soudal. He spoke about the products Perimeter seals, Core fills and Fire barriers, which are important components of any building façade or fenestration. He also spoke about the products by his parent organization, McCoy Soudal in attaining the best quality products for the said fields. This was followed by a presentation by Elia Lacentra, Exports Manager, Decoral Italy on ‘Alternative finishes for new-age façades’’.

Session 4 ended with a panel discussion on “Façade trends for high-end residential and mixed-use developments’’. The panel members were Surat Kumar Mantoo (SVP – Architecture & Design, Experion), Deepak Gupta (Partner, Dema Consulting), Rai Singh (Managing Director, Green Façade), Ashwani Khanna (Deputy Regional Manager – Sales, FunderMax India), GP Singh (VP & Head – Contracts & Procurement, Antara Senior Living (Max Enterprise) and Rajeev Antony, Managing Director, Schüco India was the moderator. The panel discussed various topics pertaining to façade trends for high-end homes and mixed-use development including facade performance objectives for speciality residences, engineered system windows and balustrades, differentiating the facade lines for different usage in the same building, rainscreen cladding and ventilated facades and various criteria behind choosing the window typologies.

All three panel discussions were very interactive and many questions from the audience were answered by the panellists. The delegates also discussed various topics of interest with the panel
members.

The 13th edition of Zak World of Facades was an event for exclusive business opportunities, including a dedicated display area exhibiting new perspectives on building skins and material technologies for the contemporary façades of India. Organized by Zak, this is a part of the build-up to the mega exhibitions on Glass, Windows & Façade and Aluminium Extrusions to be held in Mumbai from 10-13 December 2015.