After the conclusion of the fourth year of the Vitro Chair curriculum at the Universidad Autnoma de Nuevo Len (UANL), architecture students from the institution, were recognized for their outstanding …
After the conclusion of the fourth year of the Vitro Chair curriculum at the Universidad Autnoma de Nuevo Len (UANL), architecture students from the institution, were recognized for their outstanding work in the projection of a building with a double skin“ faade system. The functionality and aesthetics of the proposed glass panels, were key for the team winning. Beginning in August 2009, Vitro, through its Director for Linkage and Social Service and the Universidad Autnoma de Nuevo Len (UANL), signed a mutual agreement to create the Vitro Chair, which provides architectural students the opportunity to understand first hand the uses and applications for architectural flat glass as well as the benefits of added value glass products. The agreement between the company and the University was for a period of three years after the August-December 2009 semester. For the period January-June 2011, the tenth semester students were asked to present, as a final project, the design of a building with a double skin faade for the purpose of developing innovative styles for buildings to obtain greater interior comfort by taking advantage of the properties of Vitro“s value added architectural glass. Talking of a double skin“ faade might be interpreted as driving higher construction costs, however, the use of the materials in this case double glazed glass with high performance thermal and acoustic insulation properties support the concept of optimization of resources in order to return the investment through savings in energy costs, as well as having a facility that offers enhanced comfort to the users, points out Javier de la Garza Flat Glass Architectural Project Prescriptor and Vitro Chair Teacher at the UANL. Eleven teams, all with very interesting proposals, took part in the contest, however, there was only one winning team: Cristina Garca, Mara Rene Llanes, Liliana Rodrguez and Mercedes Rodrguez who won the first place prize: a 8 GB iPhone“. All the participants received a merit diploma. This project proposed a front double skin“ in its main faade and the building intends to give a balanced relationship with nature through giving a sense of living in a physical space that we call an ecological building“; i.e., the relationship building-nature“ actively and effectively resolves this issue through its architectural components that are embodied in an outer skin“ composed of panels of stained glass that, depending on the buildings orientation, will decrease significantly the UV radiation and direct radiation gain to the interior resulting in significant energy savings while maintaining comfort in the interior of the units, de la Garza explained in his presentation of the team members. The use of coloured glass expresses dynamism allowing for the passage of daylight that changes depending on the time of the day giving the feeling of being within a space with its own life that allows for a dialogue between the building and nature, yet giving uniqueness to the building within a drab grey urban environment. As a complement to the Chair, about 25 students had the opportunity to visit the Zambrano Hellion Medical Center, where they learned about applications of our products in real life“, concludes De la Garza.