<i>Qwalala</i> – Monumentale Skulptur aus verklebten Glasblöcken

Paech, Christoph; Göppert, Knut

doi:10.1002/cepa.626

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…A shape optimization study conducted for this sculpture facilitated the use of a flexible adhesive instead by significantly reducing the relevant shear (max. shear stresses were found to be 0.18 MPa) and normal stresses within the adhesive layer and reinforcing the rigidity of the structure [5]. In this case, Dowsil™ 993 Structural Glazing Sealant, a two-component structural silicone of white colour, high UV-resistance, 0.95 MPa tensile strength and 7 mm layer thickness, was applied in blobs for bonding the 3000 glass bricks of the curved glass wall, each weighing 23 kg [6].…”

Section: Previous Relevant Examplesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In particular, silicone sealants have been previously successfully used in bonding and sealing applications in arctic climatic conditions, such as in the Princess Elizabeth Research Station in Antarctica [14], but also for the bonding of a similar cast glass structure, i.e. the Qwalala sculpture in Italy [5].…”

Section: Choice Of Most Suitable Adhesive Familymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…7), including in the construction of both the Crystal Houses façade [15] and the Atocha Memorial [10], were in principle considered unsuitable for this case-study, due to their reduced application thickness/gap-filling property (typically between 0.1-0.5 mm) that does not allow them to accommodate construction tolerances [12]. 5 Moreover, their application calls for thoroughly controlled environmental conditions during construction, which could not be secured at the pavilion's location.…”

Section: Choice Of Most Suitable Adhesive Familymentioning

confidence: 99%

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The adhesively-bonded glass brick system of the Qaammat Pavilion in Greenland: From research to realization

Oikonomopoulou

Bristogianni

Velden

et al. 2022

Archit. Struct. Constr.

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An adhesively bonded, solid-glass brick pavilion has been designed by Konstantin Arkitekter as a landmark within the Aasivissuit – Nipisat UNESCO heritage in Greenland. The sculptural glass structure, measuring approximately 3.2 m in diameter × 2 m in height, faces a diverse set of engineering challenges compared to existing adhesively bonded glass brick structures. Placed in a remote location in the arctic circle, it has to withstand winter temperatures as low as -35 °C, and be built under a limited budget with the aid of the local population. Hence, key for the successful construction of the pavilion is finding an adhesive that satisfies the structural and aesthetic requirements of the project and simultaneously provides a simple and fast construction that spares the need for specialized building crew and sophisticated equipment, and is able to withstand the polar winter temperatures. Applicability and shear tests in (i) lab temperature conditions and (ii)) -5 °C lead to the final selection of: (a) 3M™ Scotch-Weld™ Polyurethane Adhesive DP610, which has a higher shear strength capacity, 1 mm gap filling capacity and is clear in colour, for bonding the bottom rows of the pavilion where higher strength is required due to the reduced overlapping of the bricks; and of (b) DOWSIL Experimental Fast Curing Adhesive developed by Dow Silicones Belgium particularly for this project, with a satisfactory shear strength, 3 mm gap filling capacity and white colour for the rest of the pavilion; its considerably larger gap filling capacity facilitates the ease of assembly as it can accommodate within the joint thickness the anticipated ± 1.5 mm standard size deviations of the soda-lime cast glass solid bricks and the possible accumulated deviations during construction. The paper further describes the application of the adhesive, first on a small-scale prototype, and then on site, and presents the encountered engineering and logistical challenges during the construction of the pavilion in Greenland.

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Section: Previous Relevant Examplesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Choice Of Most Suitable Adhesive Familymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Choice Of Most Suitable Adhesive Familymentioning

confidence: 99%

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The adhesively-bonded glass brick system of the Qaammat Pavilion in Greenland: From research to realization

Oikonomopoulou

Bristogianni

Velden

et al. 2022

Archit. Struct. Constr.

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Adhesive solutions for cast glass assemblies: ground rules emerging from built case studies on adhesive selection and experimental validation

Oikonomopoulou

Bristogianni

2022

Glass Struct Eng

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Cast glass is a promising, three-dimensional expression of the material for architectural and structural applications, particularly for the creation of all-transparent, self-supporting structures and envelopes. Typically applied in the form of solid blocks, cast glass components can be used as repetitive units to comprise fully-transparent, cast glass masonry walls. To maximize transparency and ensure an even load distribution, the glass blocks are bonded together by a colourless adhesive. Currently, there is a lack of standardized structural specifications, strength data and building guidelines for such adhesively-bonded cast glass-block systems. As a result, any new application is accompanied by experimental testing to select the adhesive and certify the adhesively bonded system. Since the choice of adhesive is highly dependent on the prerequisites set for each case-study -such as the structural and visual performance, available budget, the structure’s geometry and climate conditions- the preselection of the most prominent adhesive family at an early project stage can prevent an excessive budget and construction complications. This paper, therefore, aims to shed light on the selection process of adhesives for cast glass assemblies by first providing an overview of the most suitable bonding media families for such systems; these include stiff adhesives, flexible adhesives and cement-based mortars. Following, the paper reviews the research & development process of the adhesively-bonded glass-block systems in three distinct built projects, in which the TU Delft team has been involved: The Crystal Houses façade (NL), the LightVault, a robotically assembled glass vault (UK) and the Qaammat pavilion in the arctic circle (GL). The adhesive requirements for each of the three case studies are discussed in terms of structural and visual performance and ease-of-assembly (constructability). These criteria are decisive in pointing out the most promising bonding media family per case-study. The final shortlist of adhesive candidates within that bonding media family is subject to the full list of performance criteria, but also to market availability. The shortlist of adhesive candidates are typically experimentally evaluated, first via application testing and then via strength tests in order to choose the most suitable candidate. Based on the above, the review concludes in proposing guidelines for the effective selection, design and experimental verification of adhesively-bonded cast glass assemblies.

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Topologically optimized cast glass: a new design approach for loadbearing monolithic glass components of reduced annealing time

et al. 2022

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Up to now, fabricating cast glass components of substantial mass and/or thickness involves a lengthy and perplex annealing process. This has limited the use of this glass manufacturing method in the built environment to simple objects up to the size of regular building bricks, which can be annealed within a few hours. For the first time, structural topological optimization (TO) is investigated as an approach to design monolithic loadbearing cast-glass elements of substantial mass and dimensions, with significantly reduced annealing times. The research is two-fold. First, a numerical exploration is performed. The potential of reducing mass while maintaining satisfactory stiffness of a structural component is done through a case-study, in which a cast-glass grid shell node is designed and optimised. To achieve this, several design criteria in respect to glass as a material, casting as the manufacturing process and TO as a design method, are formulated and applied in the optimisation. It is concluded that a TO approach fully suited for three-dimensional glass design is as of yet not available. For this research, strain- or compliance based TO is selected for the optimization of the three-dimensional, cast glass grid shell node; in our case, we consider that a strain based TO allows for a better exploration of the thickness reduction, which, in turn, has a major influence on the annealing time of cast glass. In comparison, in a stress-based optimization, the considerably lower tensile strength of glass would become the main restrain, leaving underutilized the higher compressive strength. Furthermore, it is determined that a single, unchanging and dominant load-case is most suited for TO optimisation. Using ANSYS Workbench, mass reductions of up to 69% compared to an initial, unoptimized geometry are achieved, reducing annealing times by an estimated 90%. Following this, the feasibility of manufacturing the resulting complex-shaped glass components is investigated though physical prototypes. Two manufacturing techniques are explored: lost-wax casting using 3D-printed wax geometries, and kiln-casting using 3D-printed disposable sand moulds. Several glass prototypes were successfully cast and annealed. From this, several conclusions are drawn regarding the applicability and limitations of TO for cast glass components and the potential of alternative manufacturing methods for making such complex-shaped glass components.

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Qwalala – Monumentale Skulptur aus verklebten Glasblöcken

Cited by 4 publications

References 0 publications

The adhesively-bonded glass brick system of the Qaammat Pavilion in Greenland: From research to realization

The adhesively-bonded glass brick system of the Qaammat Pavilion in Greenland: From research to realization

Adhesive solutions for cast glass assemblies: ground rules emerging from built case studies on adhesive selection and experimental validation

Topologically optimized cast glass: a new design approach for loadbearing monolithic glass components of reduced annealing time

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