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Facade and Metal Engineering Working together around the building envelope

The Research Group Facade and Metal Engineering (RG FM) answers questions from entrepreneurs, planners or builders concerning everything around the building envelope. Its testing, analysis, development and research adapts to the industry’s needs.

In view of the energy turnaround, high-quality building envelopes are a key component in today’s development of new buildings and renovation of existing buildings.

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With its activities, the RG FM makes a contribution to the development of sustainable, economic, energy-efficient but also architecturally attractive building envelopes.

This goal is achieved by using new materials and technologies that the RG FM team develops with the industry and analyses and tests them systematically for market approval.

The RG FM runs an accredited material testing laboratory (STS 209) in accordance with ISO standard 17025 and is also a notified body NB 2188, see website of the European Commission.

    News

    Facade Conference 2016: “What’s next?”

    At this international conference – which took place in Switzerland for the fourth time – renowned engineers and architects presented the latest trends and developments in the area of the building envelope.

    ta ccgh fm gebäudehülle faszination glas als werkstoff

    Cost Action TU1403 - Meeting at Luzern

    This meeting of the networking project on adaptive building envelopes took place in October 2016 at the Lucerne School of Engineering and Architecture.

    Expertise and infrastructure

    Expertise

    Thanks to knowledge, experience and state-of-the-art instruments, the RG FM is the point of contact for analyses, material testing and component authorization.

    Infrastructure

    Modern testing and laboratory equipment includes a unique facade test rig.

    Offer

    Facade testing

    The RG FM analyses facades and windows of any type of construction at the facade test rig. They are tested individually or according to current European and international product standards.

    Tests of glass structures

    The RG FM offers a wide range of testing and analyses in the area of structural use of glass, including tests of glass balustrades, pendulum impacts and load-bearing capacity tests on overhead glazing.

    Foggingtest

    Foggingtests an CCF Fassaden

    Testen des Ausgasungsverhaltens von Weichmachern aus Materialien in Closed Cavity Fassade (CCF) in Anlehnung an den Foggingtest der SN EN 1279-6 Anhang C.

    Storenprüfstand

    Pneumatischer Prüfstand für Windlastprüfungen nach SN EN 1932

    Analyses in the building envelope

    When the norms offer nothing by way of guidance or if statics modeling is not possible, the RG Facade and Metal Engineering is the specialist for out-of-the-ordinary verifications.

    COST Action TU1403 – Adaptive Facades Network

    Multifunctional and adaptive building envelopes make energy efficiency improvements in construction. They increase the economic value of buildings as well as its comfort. COST Action TU1403 is a project launched by the RG FM and other partner universities with the aim of creating a European research network in the area of adaptive facades.

    Further links on the topic:
    - Cost Action - Webpage
    - Paper

    Projects

    KTI Furrair

    Development of a frameless parallel opening window for glass and metal facades and roof glazing for the highest possible thermal insulation value.

    Kräfte in pflanzenbewachsenen Seilfassaden

    Das Forschungsprojekt hat zum Ziel ein Lastmodell als Grundlage für die Bemessung von pflanzenbewachsenen Seilfassaden zu entwickeln.

    SEBF - Solar Energy Balanced Facade

    The solar-energy balanced façade (SEBF) system is a new hybrid façade system, a transparent–opaque solar façade, which incorporates seasonal adaptive daily solar-gain management to achieve an improved energy balance.

    Links

    networks

    Team

    Novel materials and products that breathe new life into the building envelope are tested for their suitability for use in facades.

    Weitere Informationen Fassaden- und Metallbau