Offering benefits such as high quality natural light, superior thermal insulation and ultraviolet (UV) protection, Brett Martin’s Clickfix 1040 is the natural solution for glazed facades and rooflighting, says MICHAEL JOHNSTON.

WIDE expanses of glass are ever more prevalent in modern architecture and are integral in designing truly sustainable and low energy buildings.

In the Gulf region, the use of glazed facades and rooflights for cutting-edge modern buildings has gained increasing popularity because of the better views, pleasant indoor environment, and the building’s prestige.

But with a vast array of glass and glazing solutions in the marketplace, there is a clear need for façade solutions which utilise the highest standards of design, engineering and technical expertise in order to satisfy the needs and imagination of the most ambitious architects and building engineers.

Given that we spend so much time indoors, the design of buildings and particularly the provision of daylight is critical to our quality of life. Glazing provides us with that vital transparency so that daylight can penetrate the interiors of buildings, providing a desirable and comfortable place for occupants while also helping architects achieve the best energy performance, minimise overall environmental impact and design aesthetically-pleasing buildings.

Brett Martin Daylight Systems’ Marlon Clickfix1040 lightweight architectural glazing system can be used to create internal or external facades, roofs, cladding and partitioning. The simplicity of the panel glazing system ensures that the most stunning architectural innovation is now just a click away.

Developed by its in-house product development team, the Clickfix1040’s tongue-and-groove connections simply interlock to form glazed areas of unlimited size and shape. Quick and easy to install, it perfectly complements Brett Martin’s leading range of rooflight solutions for commercial and industrial building projects.

Clickfix is a complete architectural glazing system comprising lightweight 40-mm structured polycarbonate panels with 10 insulating internal walls. With thermally broken aluminium profiles, fixing clips and rubber gaskets, Clickfix’s simple installation is quick and efficient with no need for vertical profiles, reducing both material costs and installation time. It can also be used for roofs, as cladding or partitioning, internally or externally.

Available in a wide range of tints and six vibrant new colours, Clickfix provides high quality natural light, superior thermal insulation and UV protection. It is also lightweight and easy to handle, in addition to providing impact resistance, resilience and structural strength that is inherent in all of Brett Martin’s high-performance polycarbonate systems.

Clickfix is an extension of Brett Martin’s well-established Marlon ST structured sheet range and is an ideal addition to the rooflight market as it performs better than its competitors for value, performance and quality.

Brett Martin already has had great success with Marlon Clickfix in the UAE, where it supplied 10,000 sq m to create a stunning vertical façade at Emirates airline’s new aircraft hangar at Dubai International Airport.

Designed by ADPi and built by contractor J & P, the 25,000-sq-m maintenance hangar at Dubai International Airport can accommodate four Emirates Airbus A380s – the world’s largest passenger airliner.

To provide maximum natural daylight and create a safe and healthy internal working environment, Brett Martin was appointed to create a vertical glazing element for installation around the entire building perimeter in 10 weeks.

The Clickfix façade met the client’s aesthetic demands whilst also delivering the required standards for strength, impact resistance, fire rating and thermal insulation. Brett Martin also provided full installation support for the project – including drawings, written installation guides and engineers attending site to ensure all goes smoothly.

The steel framework had to be split into two 200-m lengths to accommodate the thermal movement in the building. The Clickfix façade also had to allow for up to 90-mm vertical deflection, with the secondary steel work adjusted to provide distributed support and reduced deflections.

Designed with this type of application in mind, the impact resistance and toughness of the Clickfix polycarbonate system are ideally suited to provide a robust glazing material where such large movements must be accommodated.

To minimise the visual impact of the project’s sheet end closures, Brett Martin specially engineered bespoke transparent corner detailing which encompassed 2-mm polycarbonate moulded profiles. The company also supplied Marlon Clickfix1040 for installation to the lower 2.5 m of the hangar’s 95-m-wide hangar doors.

Brett Martin, the only European company to manufacture all the main plastic rooflight materials – polycarbonate, GRP (glass-reinforced plastic) and PVC (polyvinyl chloride), has added the prestigious Emirates hangar to its impressive global portfolio.

The benefits of natural daylight within any building are well understood and with more and more aircraft hangars featuring architecturally challenging rooflight applications, specifiers need to find the right products and assistance to meet these demands. This is why so many are turning to the expertise of Brett Martin, which has a comprehensive range of products and options as well as a technical team who can help realise these aspirations.

* Michael Johnston is system designer and engineer at Brett Martin, a multi-site manufacturing company specialising in the manufacture of plumbing and drainage systems, plastic rooflighting and glazing materials and architectural rooflight systems.