CompositesWorld
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CompositesWorld.com 55 Illustration / Karl Reque FRP Unitized Panels RELAXED FRP Unitized Panel for Curtainwall Façade › Large degree of variation in building surface and aesthetic fexibility but with simplifed construction. › Cost reduction via larger unitized modules and parts consolidation — eliminating most secondary aluminum framing and mechanical fasteners. › Improved thermal performance and energy efciency through integrated insulation and reduction in aluminum and glazed facades. opportunities via "the incredible aesthetic it achieves through complex geometry, and yet it is cost-efective, thanks to prefabri- cation and simple installation of one basic unit, repeated across the facade." "Te ultimate goal is to utilize the FRP strength to completely eliminate the secondary structure," Cabrinha adds. RELAXED, however, is but a frst step. "We still used aluminum extrusions to accept the window frames and support the concrete foor slab extensions," he notes. But the majority of secondary aluminum framing, as well as separate air and water barrier systems, numerous mechanical fasteners and the caulking typically used to combine these layers have been eliminated. Developing the design RELAXED evolved from several design objectives. Its name derives from the inward sloping surface of the basic unit and the curved surfaces it creates when repeated across a façade. Te visual efect is similar to holding a sheet taut and then letting it sag or relax. "Te frst prototypes employed a number of diferent shaped units," recalls Cabrinha's collabor ator, Prof. Jef Ponitz, "b ut this would increase complexity not only in mold and part fabrication but also installation." Investigations then tacked toward producing the maximum perceived variation in the façade — an aesthetic in high demand — but with minimal labor. "As the design evolved, we realized we could achieve the desired surface variation with a single repeating unit," says Ponitz (See Fig. 1). Another objective was to increase interior functional space in the same way a bay window does, exploiting the FRP to mold a shape that projects out from the building face. An intriguing result is that windows are installed perpendicular to the façade's planar surface, avoiding direct solar gain. "Tis efectively creates a sun shade," notes Ponitz, "and also ofers some very interesting lighting efects, bouncing indirect sunlight into the building during the day, and radiating light out in the evenings." Initially, the maximum size of a RELAXED unit was limited to 3m by 13m to enable truck transport. As the design progressed, the basic unit was fnalized as a 2.4m wide by 8m tall, twin-span construction extending from foor to foor for two stories. Tis would minimize the need for feld connections and enable the use of standard-sized windows, both keys to cost control. FRP cap panels Windows Slab extension Standard windows (perpendicular to the wall plane) 1.22m Metal structure Slab extension EXPLODED DIAGRAM One-piece FRP molding Insulation (attached on B-side of FRP panel 3.35m ASSEMBLED UNITIZED PANEL 8m 2.4m