Nietturm Zürich: We open the window to our innovations

The former Zurich company Escher-Wyss once assembled steam ships there. The chimneys were then riveted together in the raised rivet tower in the middle of the "Schiffbau" building. Today, the rivet tower houses the two-storey Nietturm bar, a metal and glass construction that towers above the original, listed "Schiffbau" building. The riveted iron beams of the former industrial hall are successfully combined with the large glass panes and the cool concrete. The current facade of the rivet tower, however, creates a stuffy-hot climate in the bar. A renovation of the riveting tower should remedy this.

With the leading architect Theo Flückiger from arc Architekten in Zurich, Krapf AG has redesigned the entire glazing of the tower. The vertical windows of the three exposed sides will be replaced by an air-lux facade construction with integrated descending windows. These can be lowered over their entire height, so that the bar is enthroned above the "Schiffbau" as a free-standing rooftop bar when the windows are lowered. The air-lux descending windows used for the project are individually manufactured and currently tested in-house - see video.

The descending windows are combined with SageGlass, a dimmable glass that can be darkened and brightened electronically – either automatically or manually at the touch of a button or touchscreen. SageGlass can be used to control daylight, solar heat and glare protection. The light transmission can be varied between 1 and 60 percent.

This unique, innovative façade enables top functional performance and architectural design freedom. The indoor climate of the riveting tower is massively improved and at the same time heat input, energy and maintenance costs are reduced.

Find out more about SageGlass and the air-lux descending window or contact us - we will be happy to provide you with more information.