One New Change - London

Outstanding projects call for special solutions

With the One New Change project in London, the key to success was not just the incredibly low argon loss rate of the insulating glass units sealed with Sikasil® IG-25 HM Plus, but the fact that the gray shade of the seals and adhesives perfectly matched the color of the project’s glass frit.

Sika facade products: more than 80 projects in London

One New Change, a multi-use complex with shopping mall, office space and restaurants, is just one of more than 80 projects in London incorporating Sika facade products. Yet, its proximity to St. Paul’s Cathedral makes it a particularly high-profile reference. Architect Jean Nouvel chose screen-printed glass in restrained pink and gray, graduating from transparent to opaque, in order to avoid any visual dominance of the new building over the ancient cathedral.

Sika not only perfectly matched the color of the glass frit with the Sikasil® IG-25 HM Plus secondary seal and the SikaGlaze® IG-5 PIB butyl primary seal, it was also able to supply the Sikasil® WS-605 S weather seal, the Sikasil® SG-500 structural glazing adhesive and even the Sika® Spacer Tape HD glazing tape in the same shade of gray.

Low argon loss rates, long service life

Some 6,500 insulating glass units were produced by German company Bischoff Glastechnik BGT, Bretten, and structurally bonded by Josef Gartner, Gundelfingen, to provide a total facade area of 32,000 m2. To meet London’s challenging thermal requirements, all IG units were argonfilled. The IG secondary seal, Sikasil® IG-25 HM Plus, has become a real success story. In severe climate tests complying with the European IG standard EN-1279-3, IG test units sealed with Sikasil® IG-25 HM Plus notched up the best performance in the market so far.

With argon loss rates as low as 0.2% per year, the test units recorded only one-fifth of the permitted argon loss rate. The associated IG units can thus be expected to have a service life of over 30 years. Even after 30 years, the argon content is still likely to exceed 80%, equivalent to an increase in energy transfer of just under 10%.