Dow Corning to Launch Quality-Assurance Initiative for European Structural Glazing and Insulating Glass Market

Dow Corning will be launching a unique quality-assurance initiative for the European structural glazing and insulating glass market at Glasstec 2006.

The move is aimed at bolstering Dow Corning's global leadership in structural bonding and sealing solutions in the construction sector. The initiative (scheduled to be formally announced at the Glasstec industry fair in Duesseldorf on Thursday, Oct. 26), is aimed at the entire construction industry value chain - from real-estate owners to architects, façade consultants and engineers, system suppliers, fabricators and applicators, Dow Corning said.

The silicone producer declined to provide further details ahead of Glasstec. But Dow Corning executives indicated that they believe that structural glazing - a façade technology developed more than 30 years ago and which eliminates the need for traditional mechanical fastening - makes it possible to meet increased performance requirements in the new building and renovation market.

''Silicone-based structural glazing provides exceptional performance in terms of safety, durability and sustainability. We are convinced that it provides a cost-effective answer to many of today's challenges in building design and construction,'' said Eric Mannaerts, Dow Corning European industry director, global construction industry.

With structural glazing, the silicone in the adhesive bonds chemically with panels made from glass, stone, metal or wood and the curtain-wall frame, creating strong and durable adhesion. This bond becomes part of the structural fabric of the building, offering exceptional resistance to thermal stress, earthquakes and high winds, as well as bomb blasts, fire and intrusion.

Structurally glazed facades insulate the building from heat and cold with a continuous outer skin. The technology's great flexibility allows architects and engineers to innovate by designing environmentally active buildings, with façade-integrated photovoltaics or mobile, 'living' façade systems which adapt themselves to solar radiation, temperature, wind and shadow.

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