TEC - Thin Environmental Cladding Glass as functional facade element

Permasteelisa Group developed with Fiberline Composites a new curtain wall system (Thin Environmental Cladding or TEC), making use of pultruded GFRP (Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer) material instead of traditional aluminum. Main advantages using GFRP instead of aluminum are the increased thermal performance and the limited environmental impact. Selling point of the selected GFRP resin is the light transmission, which results in pultruded profiles that allow the visible light to pass through them, creating great aesthetical effects. However, GFRP components present also weaknesses, such as high acoustic transmittance (due to the reduced weight and anisotropy of the material), low stiffness if compared with aluminum (resulting in higher facade deflection) and sensible fire behavior (as combustible material). This paper will describe the design of the TEC-facade, highlighting the functional role of glass within the facade concept with regards to its acoustic, structural, aesthetics and fire behavior.