WICONA brings clean lines and low-carbon sustainability to a €19.5m headquarters

EI Electronics — a manufacturer of fire and carbon monoxide detection products — puts sustainability at the heart of its business. When it came to building a 10,000m² extension to its manufacturing and commercial headquarters in Shannon, Co Clare, it was always going to take a sustainable approach to the project.

That philosophy was applied throughout the design by architects O'Neill-O'Malley, including in the glazed curtain walling, which is where we were able to help the building fulfil its environmental targets.

The €19.5m Guinee Building boasts an ultra-modern design throughout. Glazing features prominently, not least in the form of the curtain walling that dominates the facade. Products made with Hydro CIRCAL recycled aluminium was the perfect choice for this application.

Made with a minimum of 75% recycled post-consumer aluminium, Hydro CIRCAL takes end-of-life materials and turns them into a high-quality aluminium billet. Using recycled post-consumer aluminium dramatically reduces the amount of energy used and carbon dioxide released during the manufacturing process. This made it the ideal material to support both EI Electronics’s environmental values and the architectural vision for the building.

To achieve that vision, O’Neill-O’Malley needed a high-quality aluminium system that was in keeping with the modern aesthetics and quality finishes apparent throughout the building. WICONA supplied two products to match that design intent.

With an extra-narrow 50mm face width inside and outside, the WICTEC 50 stick system curtain wall gives the strength and structure needed while also preserving the aesthetics of the glazed facade. It also delivers the flexibility needed to accomplish the curved glazing that creates eye-catching focal points around the building. The soft, rounded lines drawn up in the architectural plans are preserved in the finished building.

WICONA also supplied the high-insulation WICSTYLE 65 Evo door system, which extends the narrow sightlines and contemporary look of the glazed exterior into the sash doors of the Guinee Building’s entrances and exits. By using recycled, end-of-life aluminium and energy-efficient thermal insulation connections, both the design and sustainability requirements of the building were met.

Both of our products were entrusted to fabricators and installers Alutec Facades, who expertly achieved the desired finish on behalf of the architects, contractor Monami Construction and EI Electronics.