Innovations that enhance buildings' design appeal unveiled

09/09/2014 01:14 AST

Dubai Investments (DI) subsidiaries Emirates Glass - one of the largest processors of flat architectural glass in region, and Emirates Insolaire - a pioneer in new solar technologies, have unveiled the latest industry innovations to enhance the design appeal of building façades at Façade Design & Engineering UAE Summit, currently under way in Dubai.

At the Summit, Emirates Glass is showcasing its eco-friendly products while Emirates Insolaire is unravelling its sustainable and aesthetic coloured solar panels - the first-of-its-kind in the world. The Summit, being held in Dubai, continues till September 9.

Emirates Glass and Emirates Insolaire also generated a lot of interest and enquiries as part of its participation in the Summit, which brought together top government officials and major companies in the region, specifically dealing in façade engineering, architecture and consultancy.

Talking about its participation, Rizwanulla Khan, Executive President at Emirates Glass, said: "We are thrilled to unveil breakthrough innovations in façade design and sustainable solutions at the Façade Design & Engineering UAE Summit. The eco-friendly products by Emirates Glass bring in a new paradigm shift in façade designs and this Summit is a great platform to showcase our expertise to potential partners from across the region and beyond."

Khan also highlighted that Emirates Glass has developed a unique new Emicool range of product called 'E-lite' - a high performance Solar Control Low-E coating which is coated on clear substrates and offers the designer a unique choice of aesthetics and colours at the Summit.

Rafic Hanbali, Managing Partner of Emirates Insolaire, said: "The solar panels manufactured by Emirates Insolaire, feasible in virtually any colour, opens up new aesthetic opportunities for building façades in the region and this is revolutionary product which has a huge latent demand. This Summit is a great opportunity to network with top players in the regional façade and design environment and reinforce our unique product offering."

The demand and market potential for Emirates Insolaire's coloured solar panels can be gauged from the fact that the company has received enquiries from across the world, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt, Bahrain, Lebanon, as well as from all European countries, Asia, the US, among others.

Globally, the photovoltaic market has grown 40 per cent year-on-year. The number of installations foreseen for 2015 is 160 GW - approximately 800 million square meters of glass. Furthermore, the share of BIPV [Building Integrated Photovoltaic] for roofs and facades, one of the specialisations of Emirates Insolaire, is witnessing the quickest growth.

The Summit, which started with a Façade Lighting Focus Day on September 7, also provides insights into future design strategies for UAE projects and aims to understand the new building regulations on façade designs through its conference modules.

The Gulf Today