University of Birmingham Library Facade Modernized and Optimized with SEFAR® VISION Fabric

DEPEW, NY… The glass façade of the new University of Birmingham library in Birmingham, UK employs the beauty of SEFAR® Architecture’s VISION fabric interlayer while benefiting from its daylighting and energy management capabilities. The new library is one of the key features of the university’s £300 million campus regeneration.

Birmingham-based Associated Architects designed the project – specifying PR 260/55B Gold SEFAR VISION fabric for glass vertical fins to provide a modern take on functionality.

Visually, the VISION fabric interlayer gives a contemporary aesthetic to the library. The high level of laminated glazing maximizes views both into and out of the building while achieving optimum day-lighting and creating a quiet perimeter study area.

Functionally, SEFAR VISION fabric interlayers improve thermal performance by reducing heat loading and will save building owners additional expenses on HVAC. The laminated fabric mesh will also reduce glare by mitigating visual light transmission (VLT), eliminating the need for exterior louvers and interior shading systems. SEFAR VISION utilizes the three-dimensional effects of the fabric, to provide a unique depth to the glass façade, which is typically seen as a two dimensional system

SEFAR VISION fabric interlayers are most often used to create unique designs in exterior glass facades, rain screens, curtain walls, glass rail, and interior and decorative glass partition wall systems. In addition to its aesthetic benefits for these applications, SEFAR assists with thermal modeling to demonstrate how the VISION fabric interlayer reduces solar heat gain.

SEFAR VISION fabric interlayers can also be printed with UV-stabilized inks to produce any Pantone or RAL color, customizable patterns, and other visual effects without the exterior facing design reading through to the interior. The fabrics are available in four fabric density configurations and each can be produced with three different metal coatings – Aluminum, Gold, and Copper – in addition to custom-printed colors or patterns. The variety of the fabrics allows for unlimited combinations for VISION products. Each fabric features plain or twill weaves in a variety of aperture percentages (25-55%) and light transmission percentages (18-60%). SEFAR offers a 15-year warranty from the material’s delivery date.

The glass installed on the University of Birmingham library also contributed to credits for BREEAM®, the world's leading sustainability assessment method for masterplanning projects, infrastructure and buildings.

The University of Birmingham library opened in September 2016. In addition to SEFAR Architecture, members of the project team included architect Associated Architects, Birmingham, United Kingdom; and glass manufacturer TVITEC Glass, Cubillos del Sil, Spain.

For more information about SEFAR Architecture VISION, visit: http://www.sefar.com/vision