At the 'Gevel 2020' trade fair last week, several novelties around the construction sector were again presented. One of the eye-catching innovations were the wafer-thin concrete facade panels that Hi-Con makes in cooperation with a Danish partner.
Hi-Con makes the facade panels by combining new mortars with glass fibres. This is the so-called GRC technology, for which it works closely with the Danish company BB fibre concrete, which specialises in this. In Denmark, several large buildings have already been built with it. Hi-Con presented the technology during Gevel2020, from 28 to 30 January in Ahoy. Among others, an element was on display that the Dutch company made together with the Danish manufacturer out of glass fibre reinforced concrete for five new residential and office towers in Bratislava (Sky Park). This is a double-curved element of some three by three metres and forms a node of the grid placed in front of the transparent façade of the towers, Cobouw.nl writes.
No contramal needed
The production of GRC (glass fibre reinforced concrete) does not differ much from other concrete techniques, says Coen Smets of Hi-Con Netherlands in the same article on Cobouw.nl. Especially making the moulds requires the necessary attention. The moulds for the Sky Park towers in Bratislava were made with the CNC router and the finishing had to be very precise.
Glass fibre reinforced concrete, or glass fibre reinforced concrete (GRC), is a cementitious material that is not cast but injected into a mould. It allows extremely thin (shell) elements to be made in versatile shapes. GRC is a very low-material (as no contralmal is needed) yet robust solution for sustainable facade cladding.
Opportunities for social housing construction?
The Sky Park in Bratislava where the facade panels were used is a very exclusive project. However, according to Smets, GRC also offers possibilities for social housing and renovations, for example. Because the sheets are so light, the existing supporting structure can simply be retained. Hi-Con offers four types of rear constructions: from a stud frame to a fixing with countersunk screw sleeves.
Source: Cobouw.nl/BB fiber concrete
