A new aluminium system for designing building envelops with multiple creative options, large glazing units and the lowest environmental impact. Four new patents allow for optimising materials, simplifying manufacture, and facilitating installation, which is carried out dry, with no glue or sealants used on-site, no packaging and no waste.
More design
The TENTAL Curtain Wall was created with a view to offering architects and consultants an extensive range of solutions, giving them as much creative freedom as possible when designing a façade. It is a unique platform, with 50 mm and 60 mm wide aluminium profiles, that allows for designing modular curtain walls with large-sized glazing units, in line with the latest trends; seeking the maximum sensation of transparency along with the minimum view of profiles. Each module can integrate panels weighing up to 850 kg, with a surface area of more than 12 m2, depending on the type of glass used.
More options, colours and finishes
It offers a wide range of aesthetic solutions to adapt to the requirements of any project: from the capped design to the semi-capped design, which emphasises either the horizontal lines of the transoms or the vertical lines of the mullions, to the flat cap, creating a smooth look of the profiles and glazing. A wide range of caps designs are available for these configurations. TENTAL also includes the structural silicone glazing option to create completely flat curtain wall systems without profiles visible from the outside. Furthermore, the bead glazing, where the glass is attached by means of aluminium beads that form a visible grid. Finally, it can be used for sloped glazed roofs. All profiles can be customised in different colours and textures: from TECHNAL’s exclusive metallic tones to a wide range of lacquers, anodised satin finishes or even wood effect lacquers. There is also the possibility of using wooden structural profiles on the inside of the curtain wall.
More comfort
The modules are capable of integrating double or triple glazing up to a maximum thickness of 62 mm, resulting in excellent thermal, acoustic and waterproofing performance (up to 1,500 Pa), which, in turn, means high levels of interior comfort. Users can also enjoy and access through an extensive range of windows, doors and sliding doors compatible with this curtain wall system. Users can access through an extensive range of windows, doors and sliding doors compatible with this curtain wall system. Safety is guaranteed with a burglary resistance that meets the highest standards, in accordance with international regulations.
Less energy consumption
Solar shading systems can be integrated into the curtain wall, which, along with reduced thermal transmittance, makes the architect’s job easier when it comes to designing energy-efficient buildings. Nevertheless, it is not just the energy in the operation phase of the building that is reduced. The embodied energy in the aluminium curtain wall is significantly lower, due to having profiles made using HYDRO CIRCAL 75R, the first certified post-consumer recycled aluminium. The energy required to smelt post-consumer aluminium is 95% less than the primary aluminium obtained from bauxite mining.
Less waste
Using HYDRO CIRCAL 75R, a range of prime quality aluminium made with a minimum of 75% recycled end-of-life aluminium (post-consumer scrap), allows tons of scrap that would otherwise become solid waste to be reintroduced into the system. Mullion remnants are used as transom profiles, reducing required number of profiles up to 25%. Furthermore, TENTAL’s thermal break elements are made from recycled xPET, a material that gives a second life to everyday water and beverage bottles, thereby preventing them from ending up in landfill or in the sea. Finally, the circular economy not only applies to the materials used to manufacture the curtain wall, but also its design: all components can be easily assembled and disassembled mechanically, simplifying the separation and recycling thereof once they come to the end of their life cycle. This ability to reuse materials, as well as other factors such as the healthiness of the components and the efficient use of water and renewable energy in the production phase, meaning TENTAL can opt for a Cradle to Cradle label which is under certification.
Less carbon footprint
The greenhouse gas emissions attributable to the TENTAL manufacturing process are among the lowest that the building industry can offer for an aluminium curtain wall. This effectively contributes to constructing sustainable buildings that are eligible to be awarded the most prestigious environmental certifications such as LEED, BREAM, WELL, VERDE, and LEVEL(s). Once again, the use of HYDRO CIRCAL 75R is decisive, as it only emits 2.3 Kg of Co2 per kg of aluminium, compared to a global average of 18 kg of Co2 per Kg of aluminium. This data is certified by independent bodies and is available to professionals on request through EPDs (Environment Product Declarations).
In summary, the TENTAL curtain wall is the perfect solution for current needs in terms of design and sustainability in the building industry. A product that fully backs up TECHNAL’s commitment to the circular economy, allowing architects not only to imagine the word we all want, but also to build it.