The world’s cities are growing taller with each passing year. Today, we’re entering a new era of construction – the age of the “Megatall”.

The innovative designs and technologies behind these incredible structures are changing the face of the world – and these new structures have been made possible in part by advances in structural glazing façade technology.

In this post, Errol Bull, Technical Director and a global authority on sealant technology, explores this trend, and the value of the latest silicone sealant technology. He also introduces UltraGlaze™ SSG4650 sealant, a pioneering silicone sealant that enables architects and curtain wall fabricators to build taller and secure sweeping views.

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Growing Trends - Building to New Heights

Skyscraper construction is booming, and over the past 20 years, the height of the world’s tallest building has almost doubled.

The Petronas Towers, which held the record at 451.9meters until 2004, are now only the 17th tallest buildings in the world –dwarfed by the Burj Khalifa at 828 meters. Under construction in SaudiArabia, the Jeddah Tower is expected to be the first 1-kilometer tall building when completed.

The creation of ‘Supertall’ (300m+) and ‘Megatall’ (600m+) structures is all part of a much wider global trend – the move toward cities dominated by taller skyscrapers with curtain wall glass from top to bottom.

When creating structural glazing façades for tall buildings – choosing the right silicone sealant is integral to the success of the project.

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Introducing UltraGlaze SSG4650 Sealant

UltraGlaze SSG4650 sealant is a next-generation structural silicone that enables the most ambitious structural glazing façades.

With a 30psi (210kPa) tensile design strength, UltraGlaze SSG4650 sealant is helping to meet the needs of today’s tall glass buildings.

Improved strength, flexibility and better tear resistance helps to enable the creation of taller buildings, with more glass and less metal.

UltraGlaze SSG4650 sealants offer a number of significant, measurable benefits to curtain wall fabricators. This high-performance material can deliver enhanced early adhesion and therefore reduces the need for primer on many substrate finishes.

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Securing Sweeping Views

Perhaps the most popular trend in contemporary architecture is the ever-expanding use of jumbo glass. Architects want to create buildings that offer uninterrupted views of the city.

However, this poses a distinct challenge in taller buildings. Increasing wind pressures and larger glass panels typically require a larger silicone bite and wider mullions, which works directly against the design vision.

UltraGlaze SSG4650 sealant offers 30psi (210kPa) tensile design strength – that’s 50% more than most available products on the market. This enables architects and manufacturers to create designs with more glass and less metal.

The result is a final building with sight lines that secure sweeping cityscape views from the higher stories.

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Reducing Build Costs

Metal and glass typically represent the costliest building inputs to curtain wall fabricators –using UltraGlaze SSG4650 sealant can allow fabricators to significantly reduce the amount of metal required in a curtainwall system.

In addition to offering a 30psi tensile design strength, UltraGlaze SSG4650 sealant also offers excellent flexibility and tear resistance, enabling manufacturers to reduce the size of the silicone bite and the size of the mullion itself.

Our experience has shown that fabricators could utilize 30% less silicone and 10% less metal when compared to most competitive offerings – enabling significant savings on every project.

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Optimizing the Fabrication Process

UltraGlaze SSG4650 sealant also offers real practical benefits during the fabrication of structural glazing systems.

It doesn’t require the use of a primer to most substrates (96% primer-less success rate) and offers excellent adhesion to a wide variety of materials – typically reaching 100% adhesion in just 4 hours. This ability to attain exceptional adhesion without the hassle of a primer, can help to reduce labor requirements and decrease manufacturing time – optimizing the process and delivering cost benefits.

Unlike some competing solutions, UltraGlaze SSG4650 sealant has low VOC and is developed with non-flammable components, allowing it to be safely stored and easily transported without costly restrictions, even by air.

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Improving Blast Mitigation

UltraGlaze  SSG4650 sealant can deliver structural advantages when it comes to blast mitigation applications.

UltraGlaze SSG4650 sealant’s enhanced performance in the areas of strength, tear resistance and flexibility instills confidence and peace of mind when integrating blast mitigation principles into designs.

The high strength helps UltraGlaze SSG4650 sealant to withstand the imposed loads, while the high tear strength helps it to resist tearing from cyclic loading. The elongation and flexibility of the sealant allows it to absorb and dissipate the energy from blasts and impact loads.

This makes it an ideal solution for blast mitigation systems in tall, Supertall and Megatall constructions

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UltraGlaze Structural Glazing Sealants

UltraGlaze SSG4650 sealant is a two-part, 100%silicone-based structural glazing sealant that enables the design of attractive curtain walls with reduced metal frame support system dimensions.

For additional information about UltraGlaze SSG4650 sealant, its performance and the benefits, please book your free technical presentation with Errol Bull today, by heading over to https://www.changingtheskylineforever.com

In addition to UltraGlaze SSG4650 sealant, the UltraGlaze SSG product family includes a range of one and two-part, 100% silicone based structural sealant and adhesive solutions for new construction and renovation of building envelopes, including monumental curtainwalls, window walls, and glass façades.

Additional information about UltraGlaze Structural Glazing solutions can be found at siliconeforbuilding.com/products/structural-glazing.