Jaguar Land Rover Munich

Large glass facades facilitate maximum transparency in this Jaguar Land Rover showroom in Munich.

Octatube was commissioned to carry out the technical design and assembly of these facades. In the process, a lot of attention went out to accurate detailing and the pursuit of high quality.

The facades consist of large glass panels using glass fins as a construction. Local clamps grab the glass every 1,5 meters. A minimalist, structural solution that makes the fins appear standing separate from the facade glass. 

In an early phase of this project, we visited several Octatube reference projects together with the client to determine which type of glass would be most suitable. 

Mock-up
During the engineering phase a mock-up (1:1) was produced to give an indication of the expected quality. The mock-up contained one piece of fin and two glass panels: a bottom corner of the facade. Approximately 80 percent of the details came together in this mock-up. When the concrete construction of the building was finished, the mock-up was transported to Germany and placed in the building. It enabled us to see exactly how all parts came together. Optimizations were made in our own detailing as well as in the connections to the work of third parties. 

Using the mock-up as a basis, the parameters for the production could be determined: the mock-up serving as a benchmark. This made it possible to achieve a consistent quality in the production of the rest of the series.
 
For the large glass surfaces, low-iron glass was chosen - a highly transparent and clear glass type. In addition to the visual quality, noise requirements were also taken into account for the facades: the glass had to let in approximately 2 times less noise from the outside. Octatube had the glass tested at the Fraunhofer Institut in Stuttgart. 

For deviating parts in the facades of this Jaguar Land Rover showroom a Zustimmung im Einzelfall was requested. These are special permits for non-regulated and/or unique construction products or techniques.

Concrete connection
Octatube’s assignment was to deliver a complete glass façade, including a connection to the concrete structure. This presented a challenge to our engineers as concrete deforms and impacts the glass. Finally the detailing was done in such a way that the concrete can deform and move without affecting the façade. 

Production and assembly 
The glass fins were fully pre-assembled in the glass factory, complete with all parts. By preparing as much as possible, assembly can be done quickly and efficiently and risks remain low. 
The glass panels weigh 1500 kg each and are 8.40x2.40. That's more than 18 m2 which is placed in one go. By measuring everything thoroughly in advance, we were able to assemble the complete facade in ten weeks.