04 March 2014
Wicona Façade Systems Specified for 2014 Winter Olympic Projects
Façade systems from Wicona have been specified for two projects for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games - the new Krasnaya Polyana Railway Station and the luxury Hyatt Regency Hotel in the host city of Sochi.
At a cost of £30bn, the Sochi Games are the most expensive in Olympic history and sparked a construction boom in the Russian city and the nearby ski resort of Roza Khutor near Krasnaya Polyana.
One of the key infrastructure projects for the Games was the construction of the new Krasnaya Polyana Railway Station to serve the mountain area for the Alpine and Nordic events.
The façade solution for this scheme was developed by Wicona in close collaboration with contractors NPO Mostovik. Specification criteria included very stringent security requirements and a building that would be both comfortable for travellers and harmonious in the surrounding landscape near the Caucasus Mountains.
The 15,000sqm station has two platforms with undulating canopies and has been constructed adjacent to a hillside. Stick curtain walling based on the Wicona WICTEC suite was specified with 50mm mullions and 60mm transoms to create large spans of glass and a transparent appearance. Natural ventilation in the façade is provided using the WICLINE 75 evo window system with access using the WICSTYLE evo commercial door. Brise soleil is supported by the curtain walling to offer shade from the sun on several elevations.
As with other Olympic host cities, Sochi now benefits from major investment in luxury hotels and the new 28-storey Hyatt Regency is no exception. This is the first five star hotel in the city and is a dominant feature on the skyline in the historic centre near the beach.
The hotel's facilities include fine dining restaurants, bars, a conference centre, spa and fitness suite. The building has a dramatic façade design with floor-to-ceiling glazing in all 171 guest rooms and 28 suites, allowing spectacular panoramic views towards the Black Sea coast.
The Wicona façade systems were fabricated by Aluterra of Moscow and feature specially adapted unitised curtain walling which radically reduced the programme time - a key requirement for developments constructed for the Games. Each unit was fully fabricated, glazed and assembled off site in the Aluterra factory to minimise work on site and create a watertight envelope at an earlier stage in the project's construction for faster fitting out.
The façade is enhanced with decorative metal and steel mesh supported by the curtain walling, creating a contemporary appearance for the new hotel. Wicona also supplied 600 WICSLIDE lift and slide patio doors for the project.
Commenting on the developments for the Sochi Games, Jon Palethorpe, Director for Wicona UK, said, "We are delighted to be associated with the 2014 Winter Olympics - one of the world's most prestigious and high profile sporting events. These two construction projects demonstrate the versatility of our façade systems and the diversity of design solutions that our products can deliver - and not just in the UK and Ireland, but worldwide."
Developed in Germany and widely used internationally, Wicona's WICTEC aluminium curtain walling suite is a comprehensive façade range that has been engineered to deliver a host of advanced technical features and options for outstanding performance for both new build and refurbishment projects and a wide variety of building structures.
From classic stick curtain walling to unitised, structural glazing and double skin façades, the WICTEC suite will meet almost any application and building design - such as vertical and sloped glazing, pyramids and barrel vaulted roofs.
As with all Wicona products, the WICTEC curtain walling range is based on one single system and common components to simplify specification and reduce time and costs in fabrication and installation. The unitised curtain walling option offers all the design advantages of stick curtain walling with even faster installation because the units are pre-assembled and glazed off site.
For more information about Wicona's façade solutions for complex and challenging projects, visit www.wicona.co.uk, email info.wiconauk@wicona.com or call 0845 602 8799.
Editors' Notes
1. Wicona has more than five decades of experience in façade design and engineering, and offers a complete service from design concepts to guidance with fabrication, installation, testing and handover. Wicona and its partners will manage the full façade project, ensuring a seamless approach and complete peace of mind for architects, contractors and developers.
2. In addition to its technical support, Wicona provides a range of technology-based specification tools to assist with façade design, including downloadable technical information, an 'ideas' app, and Wicona Finder - an architectural database and invaluable source of innovative design solutions for curtain walling, windows and doors.
