Curved façade panes assembled below a projection

Heavydrive places undulating glass elements on the Earlsfort Terrace office building in Dublin

Heavydrive handled the installation of the glass façades for the new office building of Ireland's life assurance and pension company Irish Life, situated in Dublin. The entrance area of the huge building, measuring 13,000 square meters (140,000 sq.ft.), boasts a unique design. The façade consists of undulating panes standing 6.8 meters (22.3 feet) high, each glass element having a different curvature.

For this reason, standard equipment could not be used to glaze the building and a special solution was needed. Heavydrive handled the assembly of the 14 glass panes, weighing up to 2,150 kilograms (4,740 lbs), using the VSG 2200 KR suction system in combination the VSG 3000 Konter counterweight beam. The vacuum suction system was developed specifically for concave and convex panes. The installation engineers had to adapt the suction system to each and every façade element. Thanks to the simple operation of the Heavydrive equipment, this was achieved in just a few simple steps.

Having to place the panes, measuring 1.1 to 3.3 meters (3.6 to 10.8 ft) by 2.9 to 6.7 meters (9.5 to 22 ft), below a projection, behind columns and through revolving doors presented a further challenge. The assembly team weaved the façade elements into the substructure with the greatest precision. Because the suction system and counterweight beam can be remotely controlled with millimetre accuracy, it was possible to install the panes in the façade meticulously and without any damage.