Construction work on the Energie 360 Grad headquarters began at the end of March 2023. The building will soon be able to cover around half of its annual electricity requirements with roof and facade solar systems.
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However, the Zurich Cantonal Building Insurance (GVZ) has since changed its authorisation practice for PV facades: For buildings taller than eleven metres, it is now mandatory to prove that a fire from the solar modules cannot spread over more than two storeys.
Successful tests with steel fire barriers
As the company concerned, Energie 360 Gard, together with the Office for Building Construction and other experts, carried out a fire test to obtain this proof. For this purpose, a test facade measuring around 7.5 x 4 metres made of solar modules was set up twice at the MFPA Leipzig testing institute and set on fire under controlled conditions.
The first fire test was unsuccessful: the fire spread to the upper areas without any additional construction. The second fire test, in which steel sheets acted as horizontal fire barriers between the individual modules, was positive according to the test criteria specified by the Association of Cantonal Fire Insurers.
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"Energie 360 Grad will be the first company to realise a PV facade under the new requirements," says Managing Director Jörg Wild. However, a little patience is still required: the construction of the solar facade is currently still subject to written confirmation of the building permit. (nhp/mfo)
