Tag: architect

Putting the Elements of Green Architecture Together

Posted on by Danpal

Green architecture is all about sustainability, from design to construction, the concept of sustainability is the guiding principle on which green architecture is measured. Architects who embrace this philosophy are often referred to as, Green Architects – and for good reason. A Green Architect sees their role in conservation as paramount, and this reflects in their over-all design and choice of materials. With this holistic approach, an architect has the opportunity to create a positive net effect on the environment. Danpal has embraced the movement toward green architecture by developing and supplying the built environment with a range of green building solutions.

Green Architecture

As green architecture is measured in part by the energy efficiency of the building designed by the green architect, the choice of ‘greener’ building materials becomes increasingly important. Recognizing this fact, Danpal has developed a complete range of building envelope systems, designed with energy efficiency in mind. In order to reduce the overall energy requirement for a building, there needs to be a reduction in the implementation of both the lighting and temperature control systems. An elegant solution for this, is to introduce the use of natural light, whilst reducing unwanted heat gain or loss, usually associated with glazing.

Natural daylight and green architecture go hand in hand, as it enables the building to take full advantage of a limitless supply of renewable solar energy. Studies have shown that when increasing a building’s occupants’ exposure to natural daylight, there is a net positive effect on their over-all health and wellbeing. The result of this is increased mental performance and psychological wellness that cannot be replicated by the use of artificial lighting. With a Danpal roofing or façade system in place, a green architect can effectively shape a building’s interior with natural light to its maximum effect. In this way, the building is able to radically reduce its energy requirement for architectural lighting and at the same time, deliver a high quality environment.

A high-quality environment (HQE) is also about thermal comfort, which can be a defining experience for the building’s inhabitants. Balancing the thermal and solar properties for any building is usually a challenge all on its own. All too often, building engineers have relied on excessive HVAC systems to overcome this problem. The result is always, high monthly running costs, and a substantial increase in energy usage. This practice does not align well with the concept of green architecture and necessitates the need for alternative solutions so as to achieve thermal balance. Danpal has met this challenge head-on, and has developed a range of building envelope systems specifically designed for thermal performance. This is made possible due to the integration of our lightweight Danpalon microcell panel, within more advanced fully framed Danpal building systems.

Danpal Building Envelope Solution Systems

Our Danpal façade, cladding, roofing, shading, interior, and skylight solutions have been purpose-built to deliver on thermal balance and solar efficiency. This trait makes any one of our systems an excellent choice for use as a green building material. The manufacturing of our Danpalon panels employs the use of highly advanced thermal extrusion technology. This allows for high accuracy and quality standards, attested to by our ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certifications. This production process includes co-extrusion of the highest quality UV inhibitors, directly into the surface of each Danpalon microcell panel. Without this crucial step, our panels would not be able to withstand the harsh African climate. Danpalon panels have been externally tested by international bodies against extreme solar conditions, and as a result, demonstrate an effective 25 year lifespan. The extended lifespan of our Danpalon based dry glazed systems translates to a maintenance-free building envelope solution.

Organizations such as the Green Building Council of South Africa, have been established to spearhead the green architecture agenda. With it, there has been the development of the Green Star system. Initiatives such as the implementation of Green Star accreditation are fast becoming a motivating factor for prospective building owners. With systems such as those which Danpal has to offer a green architect, achieving Green Star status, has become increasingly achievable. Danpal has the technology to support an architectural team with all the necessary technical back-up to ensure the successful implementation of each system.

Danpal has an international presence with exposure in over 50 countries around the world. This translates directly to localized solutions, complete from design to installation. This partnership is an essential element in creating the best performance-based solution for each project on which we are involved. This peace of mind is what really sets us apart from other internationally sourced green building systems. Yet another motivating factor that Danpal delivers on when an alternative building envelope system is needed, for your next green architecture project.

Contact Danpal to discuss about our solutions for green architecture for your next architectural project.

Cladding is the perfect wardrobe for your building

Posted on by Danpal

If you could buy clothes for your building, how would you dress it? You’d want to make sure it had a raincoat and an umbrella to protect it when the rains come. But you’d also need to give it a warm, heavy outer covering so that it was shielded from the snow and winds. Buildings don’t all come in the same size, so you’d have to make sure that the coverings you chose were the right fit. Even though your primary purpose is to protect your building from the damage that weather can do, you’d still want the structure to look attractive.

Buildings don’t wear garments, of course, so there’s no wardrobe that you can choose to protect a structure against weather. But there is cladding, which is the all-season protection that you’re looking for so that weather doesn’t invade your building’s interior. Danpal claddings are light in weight and customizable so that they’re easy to work with and to install. They’re 100% waterproof. They’re environmentally friendly, a major concern in today’s ecologically-minded consumer market. A variety of colors ensures that your building will have a commanding appearance to those outside the building while you’re cozy and comfortable inside. Danpal cladding is what the best-dressed buildings are wearing to protect against weather.

claddingDANPAL CLADDING FOR SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE

Danpal innovation has created cladding that delivers a superior performance when it comes to ease of installation, weather protection, insulation maintenance and appearance. The Danpal system has an air gap which provides natural ventilation. Behind the cladding, a convective motion keeps the insulation dry. Wet weather stays outside because the system’s exclusive double notching. Inside, the occupants are comfortable and content because the energy works efficiently to provide heat in the cold months and cooling in the hot months and freedom from dampness all year around. The strength of the microcell technology polycarbonate panels benefits from the fact that our panels are three times lighter than traditional rain screen cladding. Connections can be made directly onto the support which eliminates the need for any additional supporting framed structures.

CHOOSE THE BEST CLADDING: CHOOSE DANPAL’S VENTILATED RAIN SCREEN SYSTEM (VRS)

Performance is important for cladding. So is appearance. For an architect, something that could be a challenging decision to make ends up being very easy, thanks to Danpal’s Ventilated RainScreen System (VRS). That’s because VRS, another high-quality Danpal system, can be counted on to stand firm when weather attacks. VRS can stand up to the harshest winter weather, the wettest rains, and the coldest winds. Architects count on the way that Danpal’s VRS, like all Danpal products, conforms to the latest federal regulations for buildings. Danpal performance for cladding is matched by the esthetic choices that an architect has when deciding what colors, textures and finishes to use for cladding that pleases the eye.

With cladding by Danpal, a building that looks great from the outside is also dry and comfortable inside. That’s the perfect balance between performance and appearance.

Facades Make Buildings Stronger, More Appealing, More Energy Efficient

Posted on by Danpal

There are a number of considerations that go into the design of a building. An architect has an image of a building as she or he works, but throughout the creative process, a very analytical procedure is taking place simultaneously. Weather is always uppermost in the architect’s planning: is this building located in a region where it will be subjected to particularly wet weather in the form of rain and snow? Will sunlight be intense? Is the area a windy place? How extreme are the weather conditions and how will they impact the building? Architects build with the weather, environmental regulations, and esthetics in mind, and throughout all of this, they are also eager to please the client for whom they are designing the building. The client is also concerned about the cost of the building: Will it require much maintenance? Will it last a long time? Will it perform its primary function and meet expectations?

All of these considerations matter a great deal. Danpal, a leader in the building industry, recommends its facades as a way of putting architect and client concerns to rest. Danpal facades combine impressive strength with light weight for a product that’s easy to work with and built to last.

Danpal Strengths Create Superior Facades

A façade by Danpal can resist the impact of weather while preventing moisture from penetrating a building. Our microcell technology keeps the building watertight and airtight, and our double-click locking system offers impressive impact resistance. The snap-lock connection system also contributes to the prevention of penetration by moisture.

FacadesFacades Can Handle The Light

Natural light is a great innovation in building materials and Danpal facades lead the way for this popular feature. The tight spacing between the ribs of the façade’s glazing panel transmits evenly diffused natural light to enhance the internal working and living spaces. At the same time, we’re well aware that sunlight, as much as we love it, can be a problem for a building. That’s why we offer co-extended UV protection so that the building will enjoy a long life span.

Energy Efficiency Is Supported By Danpal Facades

The unique cell structure of our facades can be credited with improvements in the “U” and “R” values that support better thermal insulation and increased energy efficiency. Today’s consumers expect their places of work and residence to mirror their own environmental concerns and Danpal is pleased to do our utmost to meet this expectation from our customers. We’re all about Global Vision, Local Focus as we support the environment and the expectations of our clients.

Esthetic Appeal Is Part Of the Danpal Façade Attraction

There’s no need for a building to be dull. Not when Danpal offers so many options in the form of colors, finishes and textures that can dazzle the eye and enhance the look of the community. Our facades allow the architect to release those creative instincts that make a building more than a construction project.

Danpal Facades Are Easy To Work With

Danpal is committed to creating products that are easy to work with. Our facades are designed with concealed joints that create a flush external. If necessary for performance, the flush external can twist and warp.

Choosing a Danpal façade means choosing strength, esthetics, flexibility, and sustainability. It’s the smart choice!

Cladding delivers insulation protection

Posted on by Danpal

Architecture can be a demanding field, requiring a nimble mastery of talents. An architect who excels in his or her field is one who understands the basic requirements of construction so that a building can emerge from the original design to a finished site. Architecture demands a knowledge of current building codes and federal regulations in order to comply with the legal standards governing the construction industry. The architect who knows the discipline also knows how to translate what the client wants into reality. Through all of this, an architect is a creator, taking building materials and colors and turning these components into a structure that accomplishes its purpose. All of this seems easy to understand, and it is. That is, until the first leak shows up and all of a sudden, the people inside the building are at the mercy of the elements which are supposed to remain outside the building. When that happens, the talented, knowledgeable, skilled, creative architect is going to wonder if he or she neglected to use the right cladding when choosing building materials.

CladdingKeeping Leaks Out With Danpal Cladding

No one wants a leak in the building. Leaks are messy to clean up; they’re a nuisance for the occupants of the building, whether it’s in the home or the workplace; and they have the potential to cause accidents, if someone would slip and fall. If the leak manages to compromise the insulation of the building, even greater damage is likely. Dry insulation is a must in order for the heating/cooling system to maintain peak energy efficiency. Even buildings in the very best of condition use a lot of energy—they’re responsible for 40% of energy consumption in developed countries—so you can imagine what happens if damaged insulation allows energy to escape. Quality cladding plays a very important role in making sure that your building’s insulation has the protection it needs to maintain efficient use of energy.

Why Danpal Cladding Provides the Best Protection

Danpal’s Ventilated Rainscreen System offers complete insulation protection thanks to the Danpalon panels. The double-notched, connector-bound sheets, made of microcell polycarbonate, provide impenetrable protection for a building’s insulation. The natural ventilation is the result of an air gap; the convective motion is what keeps the insulation dry and free from weather penetration. Dry insulation is like a vaccination against damage for a building; it prevents structural problems from developing and it also prevents the penetration of moisture, which can turn into mold and cause a variety of health concerns, particularly for people who suffer from respiratory conditions such as asthma or allergies.

Cladding and Creativity Make An Unbeatable Combo

Cladding clearly plays an important role in the life of a building. But for architects, it also has a cosmetic part to play. That’s because Danpal cladding, which comes in an impressive array of colors and designs, gives a building a creative identity. Add in the generous customization options—Danpal cladding can be customized up to the standard length of 12.0m—and you can understand why architects are so enthusiastic about our product.

Color is an amazing esthetic advantage, but Danpal doesn’t stop there. We’ve pioneered what’s known as daylight architecture, which means that natural light is easily added to a design that uses Danpal cladding. With cladding that protects your building’s interior from the invasion of moisture while enhancing the inside with the benefits of natural light, the finished result is both structurally supported and esthetically enhanced, for a result that’s sure to please.