Aluminum window, door and curtain wall systems give striking landmark a 'golden' accent

Short delivery time of powder-coated profiles was crucial

The Provincial Development Company (POM) Antwerp is further expanding the Science Park in Niel with, among other things, the center building ISALA. This landmark in a striking terracotta hue is a realization of the consortium consisting of architectural firm with a view of the sea, study bureau Arcade and construction company Cordeel. Stalku Geveltechniek supplied and assembled all aluminum facade elements in a very short period of time. The Star 75 windows and doors and the MC Wall curtain wall system from Aliplast Aluminium Systems, powder coated in color 8C04AN, give this building beautiful "golden" accents.

The new center building, named after Isala Van Diest, the first female doctor in Belgium, will provide additional space to accommodate the growth of existing businesses and attract new entrepreneurs. 

"ISALA will be the reception building at the Science Park with a training center for the pharmaceutical sector, training rooms, offices, an information point and a restaurant with a limited hotel function. A canopy around the tall building forms an ideal space to enjoy the view of the surroundings, shelter or organize activities," say the architects of facing the sea. 

"The design was thought out very rationally. For example, the volume was built in prefabricated concrete elements, which allowed for faster construction and could easily be delivered in the chosen terracotta hue, without major adjustments in the production process. Indeed, this refers to the color of bricks and thus links to the former function of the site as a clay quarry. The design is based on a central core with open office floors around it, allowing flexible response to the wishes and needs of companies in terms of partitioning and layout."

'Golden' accents

The windows, doors and curtain walls also contribute to the appearance of the center building. Stalku Geveltechniek supplied and installed all aluminum facade elements on behalf of main contractor Cordeel. The facade builder chose Star 75 windows and doors and the MC Wall curtain wall system from Aliplast. All elements are powder coated in color 8C04AN, giving the building striking "golden" accents. 

"The Star 75 has a recessed depth of 75 mm for the outer frame and 84 mm for the sash. With a Uw-value of 0.94 W/m²K, an air tightness class 4 and an acoustic value of 47.1 dB (-1,-4), this solution fits perfectly in applications with the most stringent thermal and acoustic insulation requirements," says Marc Mulders, sales manager for the Netherlands at Aliplast Aluminium Systems. "For the curtain walls, Stalku integrated the MC Wall. With an excellent U-value, this all-in-one curtain wall scores well in terms of insulation, and with a glass thickness of 59 mm, almost all available glass types can be integrated. In addition to aesthetics and insulation, however, fire resistance also catches the eye. Indeed, certificates for both EI30 and EI60 are available for this system."

Quality with a short delivery time

Aliplast always guarantees the same high product quality and short, reliable delivery times, aspects that were also decisive here. Stalku is one of Cordeel's regular partners, but the façade elements for this project were originally assigned to another player. However, when problems arose throughout the process, Stalku came to the rescue. Meanwhile, the façade elements had to be delivered and assembled in a very short time. Aliplast became involved in the project and delivered the profiles within 5 working days. 

"This was a feat when you know that our delivery time is normally 10 working days from the factory and that this is already quite short. Our partner Stalku also pulled out all the stops so that the elements could be produced and assembled on time," Marc Mulders explains. "All profiles were powder coated. Today anodized elements are preferred by architects, but this is not feasible with such a short delivery time. Moreover, color differences are allowed to occur when anodizing. Powder coating was the solution, because it allowed us to deliver all profiles in a uniform 'golden' color, in a short time and with a 15-year color guarantee. At Aliplast we are extremely proud to have collaborated with our partner Stalku Geveltechniek on this prestigious but challenging project."