Sep 7 2007
Passengers at Oban Ferry Terminal are being treated to stunning uninterrupted views of Scotland’s coastline, while being kept safe and warm as they wait for their ferry to arrive, thanks to the world’s leading structural glazing system Pilkington Planar.
Oban is a busy harbour on the west coast of Scotland and plays a vital role in supporting the island’s communities. The new terminal building, which cost £1.36 million to complete, incorporates more than 300m2 of Pilkington Planar.
The Pilkington Planar insulating glazing units incorporate 15mm toughened Pilkington Optifloat as the outer pane and 6mm Pilkington Optitherm SN low-E glass as the inner pane with a 16mm air gap.
Jerry Almond, project manager at specialist subcontractor Charles Henshaw, who installed the Pilkington Planar on this exciting application said: “The front of the terminal, overlooking the sea, and the sides of the building, consist of a large expanse of glazing. This provides passengers and tourists with great views across the coast and enables them to see the ferries coming in and going out of the harbour. With the location to the north seeing very little sun and facing exposed winds, it was important that the glazing was the most thermally efficient possible.
“Pilkington Planar met the challenge of minimising the amount of steel used in the glass support structure to maximise transparency. The result is a spectacular structure that gives the terminal a lighter and more natural appearance, while improving the visitors’ experience.”
Pilkington Optitherm SN is an ultra low emissivity, high thermal insulating off-line coated glass. Its low emissivity coating reflects heat back into the building, whilst providing high light transmission to create a naturally lit, comfortable environment.
Pilkington Planar is a frameless structural glazing system consisting of flat or curved glass panels with a proprietary fixing method that is always designed and supplied as a complete structural solution.
Pilkington Planar can now incorporate Pilkington Activ self-cleaning glass, allowing the design freedom that comes with frameless glazing. Additionally, the dual-action cleaning process ensures the building remains looking its best, whilst also reducing future maintenance costs.