Supporting glass fins for the University of Montpellier

The 65m long all-glass façade of the faculty of medicine of the University of Montpellier owes its uncompromising transparency on an area of 780 square meters especially to the supporting glass fins. They allowed for an optimal realization of the central architectural idea of François Fontes. The new building allegorizes tradition and excellence of the faculty. The cooperation of the parties involved was also exemplary. Due to them operating professionally, highly complex components merge to a harmonic ensemble like a puzzle. For the structural glazing of the main façade and three minor façades, sedak delivered a total of 28 glass fins up to 12.68m.

The university in the French Mediterranean metropolis Montpellier has a long history reaching back to the 13th century. The faculty of medicine, founded in 1220, is even the oldest existing one in the world; and it looks ahead confidently. That is what the new, 46-million-euro building stands for: A highly modern integration of institutes of several fields in one location. It offers space for five auditoriums and 25 teaching and working rooms where 3,600 students are educated. That is unique in France.

The imposing all-glass facade forms the face of the modern building. Glass fins from Gersthofen (Bavaria) support the 780 square meters consisting of 4-layer laminates out of 10 mm low-iron glass (sedak GlasCobond) and 1.52 mm SG interlayer between the laminates. The units stretch from floor to ceiling. The transparency gives a clear view into the building’s interior that is pervaded skeletally with numerous columns. Each of the up to 4.8 tons heavy fins has five titanium fittings between the layers 2 and 3. The connecting parts as well as the stainless steel Upper-profiles and U-profiles were provided by the client. sedak attached them to the glass units during the production process. “We manufactured the entire order in only twelve weeks and met the targets clearly. Overall, the whole project went smoothly, and all puzzle pieces matched perfectly,” says sedak CEO Berhard Veh contently.

Construction board

Location: 75 Rue Professeurs Truc, 34090 Montpellier, France
Architect: François Fontes (SARL Fontes Architecture)
Owner: Medizinische Fakultät, Universität Montpellier
Completion: 09/2017

sedak scope:
28 glass fins up to 0.7 x 12.68 meters

With its giant glass facade, the faculty of medicine of the University
of Montpellier invites and offers an open view into the building.
Photo: Bellapart (Spain)

sedak’s up to 12.68m high glass fins support the glass
facade with pre-assembled titanium fittings provided by the client.
Photo: Bellapart (Spain)

An imposing combination of tradition and modernity:
The faculty of medicine of the University of Montpellier is the
oldest still existing one in the world. The modern new building takes
up the tradition and creates future-oriented space for education and research.
Photo: Bellapart (Spain)

sedak fabricates glass fins in its own production.
The units are used as supporting elements that allow
for complex glass facades.
Photo: sedak GmbH & Co. KG

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Leading glass

sedak, the glass manufacturer in Gersthofen, Germany, was founded in 2007. The company and its 170 employees have developed into the world’s technology and innovation leader for large insulating and safety glass. With a ten-year experience of manufacturing oversize glass and after having increased the level of automation continuously, sedak is regarded as a specialist in this know-how intensive segment. The glass units reach dimensions up to 3.51 m x 20 m – processed, tempered, laminated, printed, coated, and cold bent. The core capabilities are the lamination of glass, edging, and the company’s special knowledge of producing glass components with additional functional and decorative elements. sedak’s production has been optimized for extraordinary glass sizes and weights; all finishing steps are highly automated and handled in-house. As a full supplier for glass up to 20 m, sedak sees itself as a partner for architects, designers, and façade constructors. Outstanding references are for example the House of European History in Brussels, the Faculty of Medicine in Montpellier, the Torre Europa in Madrid, Brookfield Place in New York City, the United Nations Office at Geneva, the Apple Cube in New York City, the science center experimenta in Heilbronn, as well as numerous premium flagship stores worldwide.

Applications

• glass façades
• glass roofs
• glass stairs
• glass balustrades
• ship building
• safety glazing
• all-glass constructions
• interior design
• custum-made glass units

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