WindowMaster reaches new heights in Swiss building

WindowMaster, natural ventilation
Nearly 1400 parallel-opening windows in the tallest building in Switzerland are automatically controlled by a WindowMaster system.

WindowMaster has supplied 6910 chain actuators for the automatic control of 1382 parallel-opening windows on the 126 m-high 40 000 m2 Prime Tower in Zurich, the tallest building in Switzerland. The installation includes an espagnolette locking motor for each window. These MotorLink actuators are connected to MotorLink MotorControllers to provide power and control primarily for natural ventilation.

The company worked in partnership with facade manu­facturer Shueco, facade designer Emmer Pfenninger Partner and facade manufacturer Dobler Metallbau to deliver the installation.

Richard Arnott, marketing man­ager with Window­Master, explains, ‘The windows in Prime Tower are large rectangular parallel-opening windows, which weigh about 360 kW. To safely operate under load, each window is equipped with four WindowMaster chain actuators and one special espagnolette/locking actuator.’

Set to officially open later in 2011, Prime Tower will be certified to the new Swiss Green Property standard of excellence for sustainable buildings. International LEED certification is planned.

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