The new train station to be built at Ground Zero will use “Diamond glass” from Austrian glassmaker Eckelt, a subsidiary of Saint Gobain.
Glass company Eckelt, based in Steyr, Upper Austria, will manufacture around 4,000 square metres of insulated glass at a cost of around EUR 1.6 million for a new train station complex, part of the construction taking place on Ground Zero in New York.
The world trade centre underground transport hub has been designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava and is intended to resemble a giant bird when it is completed in 2014. The building is meant to symbolize the freedom of a dove released into the wild.
The company is producing a special glass with a coating to protect from the sun. The so-called “Diamond glass” will allow the entrance of the building to be flooded with plenty of natural light without the inside getting too warm.
Eckelt has been a subsidiary of French industrial group Saint Gobain for more than 20 years, during which, contact with sister company Saint Gobain Exprover North America has played an important role.
Eckelt suffered greatly during the economic crisis in 2009 with record sales of EUR 64 million falling by a third. However, thanks to this new assignment and a large number of orders for 2012, according to sales manager Dieter Wachauer, the 2009 trend should change.
Eckelt provided insulated glass for both the Acropolis Museum in Athens, Greece and BMW World (a brand experience and delivery centre) in Munich, Germany.