Glass

Experience from a wide variety of research projects was incorporated into the design of the staircase. The glass constructions commonly used today often still separate between linear connecting elements made of steel or aluminum and the flat glazing. This type of construction does not fully exploit the constructive potential of glass. For a holistic design approach, a frictional connection is required, for which adhesive or lamination technology is the ideal joining technique. Thanks to the novel, highly transparent processes, the glass panes appear to float in front of the minimized fitting parts required for the design - in reality they form a friction-locked unit. The joining technology allows the individual elements to be joined together to form a load-bearing overall construction, while at the same time enabling assembly and disassembly. The glass staircase is not only an object of applied research, but is also a contribution to anchoring this new technology in architecture and design. Learn more

In cooperation with the company Seele (Gersthofen) the IBK Research + Development is engaged in a development study with new glass constructions around the potential of lamination technology with high performance foils. Here the worldwide leading company for all-glass facades and glass constructions has been setting new standards for years. The aim of the development studies is to combine very thin glass layers by means of a high-strength laminating film to form two-dimensionally curved high-performance glass. The potential of this product will be demonstrated and presented to the public with the all-glass bridge at the 'glastechnology - live 2008'. Learn more

Since 1995, the Institute for Building Construction and Design, Chair 2 of the University of Stuttgart, has been researching the possible use of glass tubes as a constructive element in architecture and design. In numerous student research projects, rod-shaped structures have been investigated, with the result that one of the early tensegrity studies could be realized through exemplary cooperation between the chair, industry and trade (Tensegrity sculpture by Stefan Gose and Patrick Teuffel, glasstec 1996). Preliminary considerations regarding the performance potential of glass tubes as load-bearing structural elements were far exceeded by series of tests at the Materialprüfungsanstalt Baden-Württemberg, which will encourage engineers in particular to keep glass tubes in mind as a future construction element. The aesthetic fascination that emanates from the transparent rods, which are only reflected by light reflections, is sure to inspire anyone who deals with design issues. Learn more