Latin America. It is a fact that after the past earthquakes in Mexican territory now more than ever, special attention is paid to the quality of the constructions, but more than focusing only on rods and cement, there are materials that play an extremely important role: Glass and aluminum. Why did some windows and structures of these materials fall at the slightest shake? Why did others in high-rise buildings not have any damage? The secret is something that usually goes unnoticed, the cancellation.
Glass is becoming increasingly important in the midst of the construction of buildings of all levels and types, from the single-storey building to a large tower of more than 50 levels, as is the case of the Torre Reforma. For its part, the gate has gone from being a simple element that only opened the walls to allow the passage of natural light, to now be part of a specialty in construction that has proven to be tremendously sustainable and, with the passage of time has been transformed and adapted to reality, excelling in utility, quality and resistance.
The gates and glass systems bring the fine architectural touch to the building, transmit style, slenderness and also engineering value to the building, resulting in a safe investment and; effective. This is largely due to its materials -especially glass- which ensures significant savings, such as the reduction of the initial investment in air conditioning equipment, which in turn positively impacts the environment by having a significant reduction in pollutants; it also generates savings in electrical energy, maintenance, false floors and walls, making spaces more comfortable, with good temperature regulation and great luminosity.
Current and avant-garde projects somehow put pressure on glass and aluminum suppliers to create increasingly higher and lighter solutions, but in events such as the recent earthquake, which again changed the face of the city and several states of the country, it is evident that there are areas of opportunity that must be addressed to minimize the loss of human and material lives.
According to the specialist engineer Alejandro Oliva of the Tecnovidrio Group Consortium, dedicated to the transformation of glass and aluminum specifically, in the gate it is essential to carry out a valuable engineering, ensuring that the elements that make it up are appropriate to the type of building, use thicknesses and measures of aluminum and glass according to the needs and characteristics of the development, in addition to ensuring a good anchorage, with parts that are adequate and resistant, to integrate a resistant and safe construction.
In addition, advances in the industry have allowed these products to have functional and aesthetic characteristics such as: different colors in glass and aluminum, light input variants, thermal and / or acoustic solutions, as well as specialized anti-hurricane solutions.
Currently extruder companies have architectural aluminum lines that cover any size, section or color, have high shapes and waterproof and airtight characteristics, it is also possible to manufacture custom profiles; these properties generate that today the cancellation is synonymous with security in the construction sector and real estate market.
The most important quality in aluminum and glass construction is safety. To achieve this it is important to follow three steps: determine the section of the profiles, establish the ideal size of the glasses so that they are sufficiently resistant to the wind pressures to which they will be subjected according to each geographical area and build a good anchorage. This process achieves a balance between the aesthetics achieved on the outside of the façade and the security, durability and stability of the property.
After the past natural disasters that hit the country, such as earthquakes and hurricanes, it is essential to rebuild the urban landscape based on technologies that demonstrated their strength in the face of contingency without being fought with the ability to have an innovative and functional design.
It is spectacular to stand on the 50th floor of a tower next to the viewing glass of a canceleria module, contemplate the emptiness and not feel any fear. What a relief for those people who lived the earthquake of September 19 being at those levels and to verify that the cancelería and glass systems did fulfill their function.
