JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Special Issue Smart Cities - November 2019 - 54

APPLICATION construction
daylight. Other advantages are
excellent thermal performance
without need for thermal bridge
breakers, and modern aesthetics.

AZTEC© solar Wall E+ (at left), and green balcony

Self-watering flower box
A flower box made of composites
has a water collector, with automatic watering activated by solar
panel.
Green roof
Besides storing CO2, a plant-covered roof makes it possible to
contribute to the development of
biodiversity, reinforce the thermal inertia for greater comfort in
summer, mitigate noise via the
plant cover, reduce the flow of
rainwater, and increase the roof 's
life span.
Architectural
treatment of façades
Taking on bold environmental
goals should not be done to the
detriment of the architectural
quality of buildings. While Wall
E+ fulfils the complete building
envelope function, it is also an
innovative façade process that
makes it possible to integrate all
types of siding materials and a
large number of fittings (active

façade cladding, balconies, pergolas, green walls, etc.).
Architectural quality: The system
applies "blocks" of simple design
and shape as far up as several stories. The blocks are easy to lay out
on an architectural plan: the system requires only a "Lego"-type
grid layout for the façade. The
system's very low weight enables
architects to consider the most
difficult of configurations, e.g.
adding stories without overloading the existing structure. Wall
E+ proposes treating the building
façade as a whole: structure, finishing and fixtures, opaque parts
and parts with windows. Joinery
frames are integrated (subframe
profiles, windowsills, doorsills,
roller blind frames, etc.).
Composite joinery: The first installation in France of glass-fibre
composite windows and doors
features narrow frames that
guarantee high mechanical performance along with optimum

jec composites magazine / SPECIAL ISSUE #2 / November 2019

Double glazing is used on the
southern façade to bring in sunlight during winter, yet provide
thermal insulation as well. Active
protection will be added in the
form of a solar canopy and shutters.
On the other hand, triple laminated glazing is used for the western
façade to give priority to thermal
protection (including in summer),
sound insulation performance,
and impact strength. The solar
protection system will be reinforced by the installation of swivelling vertical blinds.
A double-envelope test window
will be installed on the southern
façade in partnership with the
Ridoret group. The window functions as insulating glazing, solar
sensor, and heat exchanger.
Skylights: The mechanical and
thermal performance of the blocks
makes it possible to create very
simple skylights to bring light into
the building in "strategic" places.
Thanks to triple glazing, the relatively inexpensive system (compared with other products on the
market) turns out to be very effective from the thermal point of
view, with no thermal bridge.
Exterior structures
The same philosophy was applied
to the exterior structures, which
were given special attention.
Green balcony and railing: These
Wall E+ blocks illustrate what
could become a green balcony.
They can be directly filled with a
substrate, and they serve a twofold
function: balcony safety and plant
cover. A self-sustaining flower
box will be added to the system.

JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Special Issue Smart Cities - November 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Special Issue Smart Cities - November 2019