The Gasometer, one of his latest creations, further illustrates his technical mastery.
Built in a part of town zoned for residential and commercial use, the Gasometer makes a vivid impact with its multicoloured facade showcasing Glaverbel's Stratobel Color laminated safety glasses. The effect is even more striking in the evening, when the whole facade is lit up. The complex is home to a massive multiplex cinema - 15 auditoriums - plus three floors of shops and restaurants.
The Stratobel Color glasses used in the project were produced in Maasluis, the Netherlands, by Glaverbel's Dutch subsidiary Solid Glass. They were fitted by Zimmermann Bauglass, one of Glaverbel's customer in Austria.
Various processes were used to produce safety glasses suited to any application. Glaverbel's STRATOBEL laminated glass is ideal for preventing accidents and withstanding all kinds of stresses. It is assembled out of multiple sheets of glass bonded together with extremely tough transparent or coloured PVB interlayers. Even if the glass is shattered accidentally, the splinters will stick to the interlayer and stay in the frame, preventing injury and delaying, if not preventing, breakins. Stratobel is a vast range of safety glasses offering solutions for any level of risk, including injury, defenestration, break-ins, vandalism, burglary and terrorism.
The glass used in the Gasometer complex in Vienna was toughened prior to assembly into laminated units to avoid any risk of breakage due to thermal stresses. Each unit was attached to a structure of horizontal and vertical beams using a system of clips with neoprene seals allowing the glass to absorb movements caused by violent gusts of wind without any risk of breakage. Every unit is supported by and suspended from five horizontal clips held in place by two vertical clips on the left and right. As a result, the stress on each clip is low, minimising any risk of breakage.
The innovative look of the Gasometer, set to become a major venue for social events in Vienna, owes a large debt to Glaverbel's high-quality glass.
Gasometer leisure centre in Vienna
Rüdiger Lainer, an independent Austrian architect and professor of architecture at the Viennese Academy of Arts, has a keen interest in town planning and its development.