The project, led by Aktobe Steklo LLP, is scheduled to enter the construction phase in the fourth quarter of 2026, with production expected to begin in 2029. The facility is designed to manufacture up to 256 million glass containers annually and create approximately 300 permanent jobs.

Around 80% of production will supply the domestic market, while the remaining output will be exported to other Central Asian countries. The plant will use locally sourced mineral raw materials and engage Kazakhstani suppliers for goods, works and services.

Recycling is another component of the project. Plans include processing more than 245,000 tonnes of glass waste, with the recovered material incorporated into the manufacturing process. This approach will support the use of secondary raw materials alongside virgin resources.

The investment is particularly significant for the Aktobe region, where glass container manufacturing is currently absent. Once operational, the plant is expected to strengthen Kazakhstan’s domestic packaging supply, reduce reliance on imported glass containers and establish additional export capacity across Central Asia.

The post Kazakhstan Plans €117 Million Glass Container Plant in Aktobe appeared first on GlassBalkan.

Designed and engineered with VIA, The MonoGlith is a cast-glass structure measuring 2.5 × 5.7 × 4.5 metres, assembled from 11 glass slabs. Its scale challenges conventional limits in cast-glass fabrication and explores new approaches to architectural form and material expression.

Cloud Multi-Curved Glass demonstrates another technical achievement, featuring a continuously twisting surface with an arch height of ±150 mm. Produced using NorthGlass’s latest automated multi-curved glass tempering line, the installation combines complex geometry with optical consistency, structural strength and lamination safety.

Other exhibits include Lighting Cast Glass, Retractable Skylight Spherical Glass, J-shaped curved glass and smart dimming glass, alongside structural and bulletproof solutions.

The post NorthGlass Showcases World-First Glass Innovations at glasstec 2026 appeared first on GlassBalkan.

Built in 1828, Cukrarna originally operated as a sugar refinery before being repurposed as a tobacco factory, textile factory, military barracks and shelter. After decades of deterioration, the protected industrial building was transformed into a contemporary art gallery through a renovation designed by Slovenian architecture studio Scapelab. The project was completed in 2021, creating new exhibition and public spaces while preserving the building’s historic exterior.

The defining architectural decision was to retain the original brick envelope while removing the internal structures that restricted the building’s potential. The renovation preserved the roof’s original appearance and the historic façade with its 318 window openings, maintaining the industrial character of the building. Instead of reconstructing a conventional interior, the architects introduced new structural elements to accommodate contemporary exhibition requirements.

The new gallery spaces are arranged as suspended white-cube volumes supported by a steel roof structure. Separated from the historic perimeter walls, these volumes create a clear visual distinction between the original masonry and the contemporary intervention. Their external surfaces are clad in perforated metal panels, concealing acoustic insulation and mechanical installations while providing a consistent architectural finish. The gallery spaces also incorporate controlled lighting, ventilation, temperature and humidity to meet the requirements of art exhibitions.

Achieving this design required extensive structural rehabilitation. According to the City of Ljubljana, the existing brick walls were temporarily supported during construction and strengthened through local concrete injection. The permanent structure incorporates new composite concrete walls supported by piles extending approximately 20 metres into the ground. A new steel roof structure replaced the deteriorated original roof, while a basement was excavated below the level of the Ljubljanica riverbed.

The scale of the intervention is reflected in the construction quantities: approximately 862 tonnes of steel and 500 truckloads of concrete were used. The basement excavation alone required the removal of around 3,000 truckloads of material over more than a year.

For the glass and façade industry, Cukrarna offers a case study in preserving historic window openings while adapting an industrial envelope for contemporary use. The project also demonstrates how new structural systems can be introduced without placing additional loads on fragile historic masonry. Its documented glazing specifications and window-system suppliers, however, require further confirmation.

The post Cukrarna Gallery: Transforming a Historic Sugar Factory into a Contemporary Art Space appeared first on GlassBalkan.

Led by Zhang Zhong, President of the Luoyang Glass Industry Association, the delegation toured the NorthGlass High-End Equipment Industrial Park, including its R&D Centre and intelligent manufacturing workshops. The visit provided insights into the company’s glass processing equipment, automation technologies and cast glass products.

During the industry exchange, Li Chunchao, Marketing Director of NorthGlass, introduced the company’s development, product portfolio and technological strategy. Han Junfeng, Executive Deputy General Manager of the Tempering Equipment Division, presented the evolution of NorthGlass tempering technology, highlighting advances in flat tempering and the processing of multi-curved and irregularly shaped glass. He also addressed technical challenges involving glass flatness, dimensional accuracy and stress distribution.

Sun Fangfang, Pre-Sales Engineer at NorthGlass Automation, outlined the company’s smart factory solutions, including automation lines and ERP and MES manufacturing systems. The programme also explored artificial intelligence and digital tools for improving operational efficiency, reducing costs and supporting business growth.

The post NorthGlass Hosts Chinese Glass Association Representatives for Industry Exchange appeared first on GlassBalkan.

The event is expected to bring together more than 250 exhibitors, presenting solutions for the glass, façade and fenestration industries. Alongside the exhibition, the programme will address technical developments, digital construction and sustainable building performance.

Key conference topics include Designing Future Tropical Cities, Media Glass in Architecture, BIM, Digital Construction and PropTech, and Sustainable Buildings and Façade Performance. Sessions on smart cities and digital transformation will also examine the technologies shaping the built environment.

A dedicated Green Building Index (GBI) workshop, titled Glass, OTTV and High-Performance Building Envelopes, will focus on glass selection, Overall Thermal Transfer Value (OTTV) and building-envelope performance. The session offers two Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points.

The programme also features dedicated networking sessions with Guardian Glass, VERITAS Design Group and Yorki from Nam Heng Glass, providing opportunities for industry professionals to exchange knowledge and establish business connections.

The post GAFA 2026 Programme to Address Glass, Façade and Sustainable Building Trends appeared first on GlassBalkan.

Rather than treating the façade as a continuous sealed envelope, the design uses the separation between the individual volumes as an architectural and environmental strategy. The resulting spaces allow light and air to move through the building, while terraces, landscaping and water provide shading and cooling.

The scale of the building envelope is substantial. Approximately 90,000 m² of glass were incorporated into the project, alongside 24,976 m² of balcony balustrades. The façade package included approximately 40,283 m² of stick curtain wall, together with unitised glazing, sliding doors, fixed and operable windows, aluminium cladding and other envelope elements.

One of the more technically demanding elements was the custom glazing system developed for the project. The ATLAS/Omicron system accommodated exceptionally large openings, with individual leaves reaching up to 3 metres high and 7 metres wide. Glass thicknesses ranged from approximately 30 to 54 mm, depending on the application.

The façade was also subjected to demanding performance testing. Air permeability and water-tightness tests were conducted at 600 Pa, while wind-resistance testing reached 2,750 Pa, with façade deflection limited to L/175.

Solar control was approached through the architecture as much as through the glass specification. Deeply recessed glazing, cantilevered terraces and GFRC brise-soleil help reduce direct solar exposure, allowing the design to use clear, low-reflectivity glazing rather than relying entirely on heavily tinted glass.

Glass also becomes part of the interior experience. The Deluge features cylindrical glass elevators surrounded by cascading water, while the Firefalls combine reflective glass surfaces, flowing water and programmable fire.

The post Atlantis The Royal: Engineering a Permeable Glass Façade in Dubai appeared first on GlassBalkan.

The tower contains approximately 39,724 m² of custom unitised, flush-glazed curtain walling. The system comprises 6,600 façade panels, with around 5,500 different panel shapes. The panels could not simply be repeated around the building because the floor plates and external geometry change as the tower rises. Each panel was therefore modelled individually within a parametric system.

Cold-warped glass

The main tower façade uses cold-warped glazing to follow the changing geometry. Panels were manufactured in a flat condition and then deformed during installation to achieve the required three-dimensional shape.

This approach avoided manufacturing thousands of individually curved glass units. Instead, the façade system allowed the glazing to be cold-warped within the unitised curtain-wall frame, creating the required curvature once the panels were installed on the tower.

The process required close coordination between the architectural geometry, structural frame and façade fabrication. According to Core FDM, the heaviest façade panel weighs approximately 1.4 tonnes. Extensive testing was carried out on the cold-warping process, structural silicone and the behaviour of the glazing under the required deformation.

The façade is not identical across the entire tower. Different systems were developed for different areas of the building. The principal tower envelope uses rectangular floor-to-floor panels in varying widths, while tighter curved areas use a triangulated system. More conventional curtain-wall construction is used in other sections, including the hotel accommodation.

More than the main curtain wall

The glazed envelope also incorporates 255 motorised windows and 180 lift-and-slide terrace door sets. Stainless-steel and glass balustrades form part of the façade package, while flush-glazed window-wall systems are used in selected areas.

The motorised windows are connected to the building management system, adding an operational layer to the façade. Solar shading was also integrated into the building design, with Guthrie Douglas involved in the shading system.

The project brought together WilkinsonEyre, Bates Smart, Robert Bird Group, Surface Design, Arup, Iljin Unisco and Highlight Aluminium among the companies responsible for the architectural, structural and façade work. Motioneering was involved in damping, while Cermak Peterka Petersen (CPP) worked on wind engineering.

Crown Sydney’s façade is therefore closely tied to the building’s geometry. The 60-degree rotation is visible from the outside, but the more significant story sits behind the finished surface: 6,600 panels, thousands of different geometries, cold-warped glazing and several façade systems had to be coordinated to produce a continuous glass envelope around the twisting tower.

The post Crown Sydney: A Façade Built Around a 60-Degree Twist appeared first on GlassBalkan.

The external envelope is defined by a diagonal steel grid that creates a continuous pattern of diamond-shaped openings across the building. The structure is not treated as a conventional curtain wall attached to an independent frame. Instead, the façade grid forms part of the building’s load-bearing system, working together with the floor slabs, horizontal structural elements and vertical cores.

Glass is central to the design. Around 840 individual glass units are incorporated into the façade, including approximately 205 convex panels and 16 concave panels. The combination of planar and curved glazing produces different levels of reflection and transparency across the elevation. The curved panels distort views of the surrounding streetscape and the building interior, while the flat panes provide sharper reflections.

The geometry required glass units with different shapes and curvatures rather than a repetitive standard panel. CRICURSA, now part of the Tvitec Group, produced compound-curved glass for the project. Project documentation identifies Crisunid® annealed compound-curve glass and a 6+6 (12A)+12 mm configuration for the curved glazing. Eckelt Glas was also involved in the glass supply, while Josef Gartner GmbH handled the façade construction.

The façade system was developed to respond to Tokyo’s seismic conditions. The connections between the glass, aluminium framing and steel structure allow controlled movement while maintaining the integrity of the envelope. The façade also incorporates functional elements, including electrically operated smoke-extraction vents and fire-escape windows.

The technical team included Takenaka Corporation as executive architect, MEP engineer and general contractor; Schnetzer Puskas Ingenieure AG as structural engineer; Emmer Pfenninger Partner AG as façade consultant; and Kawada Industries for the primary steelwork. Arup worked on the lighting design.

Prada Aoyama demonstrates how a façade can be developed as a structural and environmental system rather than as a separate outer layer. The diagonal steel grid, 2,320 m² envelope and approximately 840 individually configured glass units define both the building’s appearance and much of its technical character.

The post Prada Aoyama, Tokyo: A Façade Built Around Glass and Steel appeared first on GlassBalkan.

The façade is composed of 333 glass panels and 333 structural glass fins. Rather than forming a conventional flat curtain wall, the panels are positioned at changing inclinations, producing a continuous pleated or zig-zag geometry. This arrangement gives the façade its distinctive three-dimensional character while creating a structural system capable of spanning the considerable height of the elevation.

The scale of the individual glass elements is equally significant. The façade panels reach approximately 2.2 × 16 metres and are constructed from 2 × 10 mm low-iron heat-strengthened laminated glass. The structural fins reach up to 15.9 metres in length and are manufactured using laminated safety glass assemblies incorporating as many as eight layers. Individual elements can weigh up to approximately 3.5 tonnes.

The structural concept differs fundamentally from a conventional curtain wall. The façade is suspended from the third-floor ceiling, while the vertical glass fins act as the principal load-bearing elements. Horizontal transoms transfer the loads of the large façade panes to the fins, allowing the completed assembly to function as a self-supporting glass structure.

Precision was critical throughout the fabrication and installation process. sedak manufactured all 333 glass fins and 333 façade panes, with drilled connection points and metal shoes incorporated into the oversized fins during production. Custom timber templates were subsequently used during assembly to maintain the required geometry.

The connection strategy was also carefully engineered. Steel components attached directly to the glass were bolted rather than welded, reducing dimensional inaccuracies that could result from welding distortion. The façade incorporates approximately 118 tonnes of stainless steel and 103 tonnes of mild steel.

Installation required specially developed equipment capable of positioning the large, inclined glass elements with high accuracy. seele developed suction equipment incorporating counterweights and three-axis adjustment to control the oversized components during installation.

The structural glass envelope continues above the main façade, projecting approximately four metres upward to form part of the rooftop garden balustrade. Six stainless-steel entrance portals provide additional structural definition at the main entrances.

The façade was designed, engineered and installed by seele / se-austria, with sedak responsible for the structural-glass fabrication. The wider project team included KCS & Associates for structural engineering, Arup, Carpenter | Lowings and Eckersley O’Callaghan as façade consultants, and P Landscape for landscape design.

The post ICONSIAM: A 300-Metre Structural Glass Façade in Bangkok appeared first on GlassBalkan.

The groundbreaking ceremony brought together Crown executives, local government representatives, customers and other guests to mark the start of construction. The new plant is planned to feature two production lines with a combined annual capacity of 2.2 billion aluminium cans, serving both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage segments.

Operations are scheduled to commence in the second half of 2027. The facility is expected to incorporate advanced manufacturing technologies and operational systems designed to support high-volume production while improving resource efficiency and manufacturing performance.

Following the groundbreaking, Crown executives met with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to discuss the company’s investment and its plans to support the continued development of India’s beverage industry. During the meeting, Crown also received the official land allotment letter for the project.

Djalma Novaes, Crown’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, said the investment reflects the company’s confidence in India’s beverage market and the increasing role of aluminium cans as a sustainable packaging solution.

The post Crown Begins Construction of 2.2-Billion-Can Aluminium Packaging Plant in India appeared first on GlassBalkan.