Controllable Shadoglass louvres
Background
In the 1920s the Potsdamer Platz was one of the busiest squares in Europe with up to 100,000 people and 20,000 cars using the Square every day. Four fifths of the square was destroyed during the Second World War, and then the division of Germany and the building of the Berlin Wall turned the Potsdamer Platz into a no-man's land. But now the district is thriving again.
In addition to office accommodation, the new Potsdamer Platz comprises 19 buildings including residential property, restaurants, cafés, cinemas, theatres, a casino and an hotel. A team of internationally renowned architects, chiefly Paris and Genoa-based Renzo Piano, have underpinned the Daimler-Benz sponsored development with a commitment to energy efficiency. This has included the reduction of energy consumption through the optimal use of natural light.
The Building
One of the landmarks of the new Potsdamer Platz is the 86 metre high corporate headquarters of Daimler-Benz Interservices, the most striking feature of which is an innovative glass louvre system designed and installed by Colt. Colt worked closely with chief architect Renzo Piano during the design phase and received the contract for glass louvres from German façade builder, Götz.
Colt Shadoglass louvres
The glass louvres were installed on the south-east and south-west facing façades of the 21-storey high building, which is located close to the Brandenburg Gate. In addition to providing a striking architectural feature, akin to a glass curtain, the louvres also provide noise attenuation, wind protection, ventilation in warm weather and insulation for the building during winter. With the louvres fully closed, the building is protected against prevailing winds and insulated against Berlin's harsh winter conditions. In summer, when the temperature on the glass reaches a pre-set limit, the louvres automatically open to a pre-set angle. Windows in the building are fitted with tilt and turn mechanisms to enable occupants to make use of the ventilation, which the open louvres provide.
In total, the terracotta-clad building has been fitted with almost 5000 individual 16mm transparent glass louvres, each measuring 1300mm in length and 520mm in height. The louvres are mounted on two-piece aluminium cast pivots, which are dog-legged to allow the louvres to overlap. The louvres are mounted 500mm away from the building to permit room for a cleaning and maintenance walkway, which has a toughened glass floor covering. Electric actuators, installed horizontally beneath the walkways to ensure they remain concealed from view, control the glass louvres. Each actuator connects to a rotating bar and controls three banks of seven louvres.
The Product
Colt Shadoglass louvres have been widely specified throughout Europe not only for their daylight provision, solar control and noise attenuation but also for their aesthetic qualities. They are part of the wider Colt portfolio of daylighting and solar control products, which includes roof mounted and structural glazing systems as well as canopies, fixed solar shading and solar blinds.
