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All articles of topic building integration

Products of the year: Aerocompact's mounting system for solar facades

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Aerocompact is opening up a new market segment with its Compactwall system. In addition to sheet metal facades, installations on concrete and, on request, sandwich facades are also possible.

The balcony parapets and the roof covering of the climate houses in Schallstadt consist entirely of solar modules.

Weekly Topic: Heating: Plus-energy houses become possible with solar facades

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In Schallstadt, southwest of Freiburg, architect Rolf Disch has constructed buildings that generate more energy than they consume. Solar modules in the facade provide most of the solar power for heating and mobility.

 History meets modernity: the new solar installation on the roof of the Natural History Museum in Vienna.

Weekly Topic: Austria: Combining a landmark historic building with photovoltaics

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The Natural History Museum in Vienna has been fitted with a brand new solar installation. It now supplies twelve per cent of the electricity needed in the listed building.

K2 Systems

Vertical solution for solar building facades

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The new mounting systems from K2 Systems enable systematic and rapid installation on vertical facades. The system is suitable for trapezoidal sheet metal and sandwich panels as well as for brickwork and concrete.

With the installation in Hohenems, Rhimberg Energie has successfully integrated an aesthetic facade.
Topic of the Week: Solar facade

Rhomberg Energie builds aesthetic industrial-scale solar facade for Collini

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In the planning and realisation of the solar facade, Rhomberg also innovatively solved issues such as fire protection. Collini uses the solar power directly on site.

Advanced Building Skins brings architecture and photovoltaics together.
Advanced Building Skins

Conference on BIPV in Bern in Switzerland October

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On 28 and 29 October 2024, modern facade architecture will be on the agenda at the Kursaal in Bern. The speakers at Advanced Building Skins will also be taking a closer look at solar facades.

3S Solar

New solar module for building integration

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With the change from Megaslate to Teraslate, 3S Swiss Solar Solutions has achieved a generational shift in systems for building integration.

Braas

Solar roof element that achieves 120 watts

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Braas has increased the output of its PV Premium solar roof elements from 105 to 120 watts. That is an area output of almost 200 watts per square metre. The dimensions of the photovoltaic module remain the same.

 The conversion took several years, but the result convinced the jury.
BIPV

Norman Foster Solar Award for church renovation in Switzerland

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The energy-efficient refurbishment of St Mary's Church in Mollis in the canton of Glarus has won the prestigious Norman Foster Solar Award 2023. The prize was awarded in Geneva in mid-February.

 Prefabricated solar elements were used for the facade of the Drees & Sommer headquarters in Stuttgart. They form the basis of the standard solution that is to be developed.
Facade integration

Fraunhofer ISE develops standardised solution with partners

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The system that the project partners are developing is intended to simplify the use of facades for photovoltaics. Part of the solution will also be published as a VDI guideline.

Drees & Sommer's new office building in Stuttgart has been given a lavish solar facade.
BIPV

Building-integrated photovoltaics for financing

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Affordable residential and commercial space is possible with more solar energy. Aesthetic and cost-efficient solar facades are a big part of this.

The construction of the solar power facade at Aargauerstrasse 182 in Zurich is currently still subject to planning permission.
BIPV

Energie 360 Grad in Switzerland receives approval for a solar facade

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Energie 360 Grad will install solar panels on the roof and facade of its headquarters as planned. Due to a lack of in-depth knowledge about the fire risk, the Canton of Zurich building insurance company had not authorised photovoltaic systems on facades in the meantime. The company has now successfully provided a test certificate with its own tests.

BIPV

Standardised complete package for solar facades

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MO Energy Systems from Austria has developed a modular standard solution for solar facades. The scalable solution is suitable for existing and new buildings. It can be connected to concrete as well as brick and timber facades.

With a company on board that specialises in facade construction, the implementation of solar facades could also become easier for Sunovation.
BIPV

German company Dreßler Bau joins Sunovation

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The manufacturer of double-glazed modules for building integration Sunovation has won the construction company Dreßler as a strategic investor. There are now plans to expand production capacities.

Building integration

A new lightweight BIPV product

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GoodWe has launched its latest product – the Galaxy series: A BIPV module designed specifically for industrial and commercial applications.

The glass facade at the administration building in Gronau covers an area of 222 square metres.
BIPV

ASCA and BGT integrate mega-solar facade into administration building

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The facade of the new administration building of the Gronau public utility company in the western Münsterland region in Germany will be powered by solar energy in the future. A pioneering project. The BIPV modules manufactured by ASCA were integrated into facade glass by BGT Bischoff Glastechnik.

Andreas Steigerwald (Marketing Manager of Envelon), Hans-Peter Merklein (Managing Director) and architect Peter Kuczia (from left to right) received the design award in Bilbao.
BIPV

Complete system for solar facades wins design award

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The complete system of coloured solar modules including planning and installation by Envelon was awarded Product Design of the Year at the 2022Architecture Masterprize. The evaluation was based on projects by architect Peter Kuczia.

BIPV

Glass-glass module with building authority approval

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Solarwatt presents the semi-transparent module Vision 60M Construct for building integration. The module is specially designed for use in carports and for the roofing of parking areas.

BIPV

Megasol and Saint-Gobain enter partnership for solar facades

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Flat glass manufacturer Saint-Gobain makes inroads into solutions for solar facades in Swiss Europe by investing in building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) provider Megasol.

BIPV

New generation of colour modules

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The manufacturer of BIPV modules Sunovation is expanding the range of coloured photovoltaic modules for building integration with its new colour collection ColorQuant.

Holger Geisler, CEO of Ceramic Colors Wolbring GmbH
Interview – BIPV

Holger Geisler of Ceramic Colors Wolbring: Coloured PV glass for the facade

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BIPV modules are interesting alternatives to standard facade elements. The new ColorQuant glass colours were specifically developed to give PV elements a colourful appearance. Holger Geisler, Managing Director at Ceramic Colors Wolbring GmbH, explains the details.

With this building, architect Walter Schär won one of this year's Watt d'Or prizes.
Building integration:

Solar timber building wins Watt d'Or sustainability award

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The judges for the Watt d'Or award were not only impressed by the building material used and the modular structure, but also the modern energy concept. The building generates 50 per cent more energy than it consumes.

BIPV:

Up to 4.5 kilowatts of PV that are almost invisible

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As a small system on the facade, 15 elements in the Rathscheck Schiefer system generate up to 750 watts of electricity.

The bonded solution is streamlined to the roof and allows you to read the building form.
BIPV:

Innovative solar building techniques for a new facility building at Prestwick

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The creation of an important new research facility at Prestwick in Scotland has included the largest installation to date of the innovative new AluPlusSolar system developed by Kalzip.

The economic viability of BIPV is still influenced by the additional costs of the photovoltaics. But the stronger lever is the saving of electricity from the grid.
New study:

BIPV is economical in Europe

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Researchers at the University of Stavanger in Norway have studied the economic viability of solar building envelopes. The result: In most European countries, BIPV has reached grid parity.