Protecting Qatar's Library From Soaring Heat

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Edgetech’s Super Spacer has played a crucial role in the construction of one of the Middle East’s most spectacular new buildings and the stunning 5,500sq.m glass façade of the Qatar National Library.

The library is home to over a million books and 500,000 digital editions. The library’s most valuable volumes are kept in a six-meter deep, glass-ceilinged room reminiscent of an excavated labyrinth.

Its diamond-shaped façade area has been designed to filter out the glaring sun, while still letting in enough light to illuminate the library interior.

The façade has been designed without any metallic elements, ensuring there are no thermal bridges to conduct heat into the building – a crucial consideration, since Qatar routinely experience summer temperatures in excess of 40 degrees Celsius.

Its double-glazed IGUs are curved, ensuring that the façade is both self-supporting and exceptionally resistant to wind and other strong weather.

A grey grid of 3mm metallic dots, with a precise 6mm spacing, was burnt into the low-e solar control glass in order to reduce radiation transmission even further.

TriSeal

The need for both exceptional thermal performance and a product that was compatible with the building’s curved IGUs made Super Spacer TriSeal Flex an obvious choice.

 “In places like Qatar, the constant fluctuations between incredible heat in the day and much cooler evenings exerts considerable pressure on the edge seal. Super Spacer’s structural foam is able to absorb that pumping motion, allowing IGUs to withstand the pressure.”

– Chris Alderson 

Managing Director, Edgetech

Energy reduction

Edgetech’s Super Spacer flexible foam-based spacer systems act as energy efficient warm edge spacers in insulating glass windows. They significantly reduce energy loss to the outside, largely prevent condensation and also contribute to the lifetime of a window. On average, worldwide, more than 300 million metres are sold annually in over 90 countries.

Picture: Qatar's National Library Building.

www.edgetechig.co.uk

Article written by Cathryn Ellis
27th November 2020

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