BRITAL has seen significant expansion of its product line in its ongoing efforts to meet the demands of the Gulf market with innovative solutions.

Its product range now includes a comprehensive range of door and window products to complement the existing curtain-wall and facade systems and all are available in both thermally broken and non-thermally broken versions.

Brital – which was originally formed to design and market aluminium curtain-wall and facade systems in the Middle East – adopts a market-specific approach, which has many advantages over using standard European or North American systems, and the advantages speak for themselves, says a UK-based spokesman for the company.

“This approach allows the products to fully evolve as the best performance/value balanced package available for their intended markets, rather than simply marketing a standard system across multiple markets and conditions,” he says. “The development of these new products has seen constructive input from fabricators, accessory suppliers, extruders and end-users, ensuring that the systems are in demand throughout the Gulf region.”

One example is the Brital louvre system, which has been enhanced with the addition of a sandtrap louvre in two different designs. These new systems provide both the required performance and a choice of appearance, he says.

Another example of the Brital market-led design focus is the enhancement of its Brise Soleil systems in response to the construction industry becoming more and more aware of its ecological responsibilities. “Brise Soleil systems have become increasingly popular as architects and facade designers seek to increase the energy-saving performance of building facades,” the spokesman adds.

Brital has developed systems that can be incorporated into any of the Brital curtain-wall systems for maximum shading effect and performance. The curtain-wall systems have benefited from the development of other bespoke systems.
He continues: “Roof glazing is another area of expansion for Brital where our existing curtain-wall systems have been supplemented with the addition of specific profiles, enabling bespoke roof glazing designs to be achieved with existing profiles.”

Its focus on new product development has expanded its product range to now include tilt-and-turn windows and doors, top, bottom or side hung windows, sliding windows and doors, louvres, brise soleil systems, swing doors, roof glazing and handrails. All of these can be utilised in conjunction with other complementary Brital systems and designs to create a fully-integrated facade system that achieves both the aesthetic and performance requirements of the building designer and owner.

“The use of these systems continues to be time-saving and cost-effective as Brital systems are extruded in the Gulf and not imported from outside the region,” he points out.

Elaborating on how its approach is benefiting the construction sector of the region, he says: “Tailoring systems to suit the specific needs of some challenging projects has promoted the development of the new products, in addition to expanding their versatility. This experience and expertise has culminated in systems specifically designed for the climatic conditions of the Middle East, as well as being designed to suit the fabrication and installation practices prevalent in the region.

As an experienced design company, Brital offers its clients the benefit of having the ability to respond quickly to specific project requirements and changes, in addition to providing ongoing technical support to customers, projects and clients from a staff of experienced and highly qualified designers and engineers.

“Brital helps its customers to maintain lower manufacturing costs than equivalent systems as there is no need for expensive capital equipment; making the systems simple to fabricate reduces the material wastage as well as cuts machinery and maintenance costs. Brital systems have been developed with an eye to recognised regional manufacturing facilities and meeting local market conditions so that customers do not need to make any specific equipment or machinery investments to achieve a high level of quality and performance from the manufactured facade system.

“An important consideration, for example, is the need to be sure that the site conditions don’t reduce the mechanical integrity of bonded joints in structurally glazed curtain-wall systems. For this reason, none of Brital's curtain-wall systems employs any site application of structural silicone sealants.”

Brital has been supplying facade systems for projects in the Gulf for more than 15 years. This apart, the company has also completed projects in other parts of the world, such as Afghanistan, Tanzania, Iraq, Iran, Kenya and Pakistan. New projects in the pipeline will further increase the geographical reach of its systems, says the spokesman.

Despite the economic downturn that the market has suffered in the past year, Brital has continued to develop and utilise its systems, to the point where it now can boast an extremely strong portfolio of market-specific and fully-integrated designs and products.

“It is in the current market conditions that the outstanding value for money offered by Brital systems is becoming ever more popular with customers and consultants alike,” he claims.

The continued expansion is not exclusive to the design aspect of the business either; Brital has recently formally opened a branch office in the Dubai Silicon Oasis technology park and is in the process of relocating further design and engineering staff to this regional base to further enhance the level of technical and practical support offered to its customers throughout the region.

This combination of product and facility development points toward continued expansion for the aluminium facade specialist, both in the Gulf and further afield.