All-glass facade

Abstract

All-glass facade comprising at least one facade support structure (1, 2) and a number of surface elements (3) which are attached in front of the facade support structure (1, 2), wherein at least two surface elements (3), in particular two mutually facing side surfaces (31) of the surface elements (3), form a gap (6), wherein at least one glass holder (5) is provided which is connected to the facade support structure (1, 2) and the surface elements (3) and extends through a section of the gap (6), wherein the gap (6) is partially filled with silicone (9), wherein a sealing profile is attached between the silicone (9) and the at least one glass holder (5), characterized in that the sealing profile (8) has at least a section with a U-shaped cross-section, which is arranged in such a way that access to the at least one glass holder and to the side surfaces (31) of the surface elements (3) is blocked.

Description

The present invention relates to an all-glass facade according to the preamble of claim 1. The publication DE 36 24 491 C3 concerns an all-glass facade with a facade support structure and surface elements that are attached in front of the facade support structure. The publication EP 0 250 989 A1 concerns a sealing profile for such an all-glass facade. The publication DE 198 21 518 A1 relates to a facade construction with a glass pane, a retaining profile which surrounds the edge of the glass pane and has a fastening element which secures the glass pane to a supporting structure by engaging with a section of the retaining profile. The publication DE 37 35 490 A1 concerns a holding device for fastening or securing glass panes to supporting structures of buildings. The publication DE 34 39 436 A1 concerns an exterior wall and roof glazing consisting of a supporting structure formed from profiles and insulating glass panes fixed to the supporting structure. The publication EP 0 957 227 A1 relates to a facade construction with two plate-shaped glass panes, a fastening element which secures the plate-shaped glass panes to a supporting structure by means of an engagement with a section to the glass panes, and with a spring element which is designed to be springy parallel to the surface of the glass panes. Publication EP 0 479 751 A1 concerns a glass holder for an all-glass facade. Another glass holder is known from JP 2008-116031 A. US 4 961 975 A concerns another all-glass facade. An all-glass facade essentially comprises a facade support structure and a number of surface elements that are held by the facade support structure by means of glass holders. The facade support structure essentially comprises horizontal posts and vertical beams. The beams and posts are primarily elongated hollow aluminum profiles. Of course, other materials and profile shapes are conceivable. In its installed state, the glass holders extend vertically from the mullion or transom and are positioned in a gap between two panel elements. The gap is only partially filled by the glass holder; in particular, the gap facing the front of the glass facade is filled with a layer of silicone and / or a sealing tape, primarily to maintain an aesthetically pleasing appearance. To prevent silicone from penetrating the area of ​​the glass holders or the facade support structure during installation, sealing profiles are provided that completely or at least largely seal the gap. One requirement for an all-glass facade is that it should offer protection against burglary. All-glass facades according to the state of the art, such as those disclosed in DE 36 24 491 C3, do not provide sufficient protection in this regard. The gap, and thus the elements that substantially support the surface panels, can be accessed by removing the sealing tape or the silicone layer. This can be accomplished, for example, using lever tools or similar implements. This is where the present invention comes in, aiming to improve the burglary resistance of an all-glass facade. The problem underlying the invention is solved by the subject matter of independent claim 1, with advantageous further developments of the all-glass facade according to the invention being specified in the dependent claims. According to the invention, this problem is solved in particular by using a U-shaped sealing profile, at least in sections. The U-shaped sealing profile has a base and two legs in cross-section. The base is connected to the facade support structure, for example with screws, and the legs are arranged parallel or largely parallel to the side surfaces of the respective panel elements. The gap can then be filled or sealed, for example with silicone or a sealing tape. From the outside, the all-glass facade according to the invention has no different appearance than an all-glass facade described in the prior art. However, the all-glass facade according to the invention is significantly more burglar-resistant, since the essential elements supporting the panel elements remain inaccessible even after the silicone layer or sealing tape has been removed.Therefore, a surface element cannot simply be removed with a lever tool - at least, prying off a surface element is considerably more difficult. Further advantageous embodiments of the present invention will become apparent in particular from the features of the dependent claims. For example, the sealing profile can be designed to have a U-shaped cross-section in some sections and an L-shaped cross-section in others, or to be designed as a flat profile in some sections. A sealing profile designed in this way can be optimally adapted to the conditions in the gap. Another measure to increase burglary protection can be, for example, to connect the locking profile to the facade support structure and / or to the at least one glass holder and / or to the at least one insulation profile by means of at least one screw, whereby in particular the head of the at least one screw is rendered unusable after installation. Further features and advantages of the present invention will become clear with reference to the following description of preferred embodiments and the accompanying figures. Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of an all-glass facade; Figure 2 shows a cross-sectional view of an all-glass facade according to the prior art; Figure 2a shows a cross-sectional view of an all-glass facade according to the prior art; Figure 3 shows a cross-sectional view of an all-glass facade according to the invention; Figure 4 shows a cross-sectional view of an all-glass facade according to the invention; Figure 5 shows a perspective view of an all-glass facade according to the invention; Figure 6 shows a perspective view of an all-glass facade according to the invention. Reference symbol list A Locking profile (state of the art) 1 Post 2 Rail 3 Surface element 4 Seal 5 Glass holder 6 Gap 7 Insulation profile 8 Locking profile 9 Silicone 10 Screw 11 Threaded groove 31 Side surface 32 Opening (groove) 51 Wing 52 Shaft 53 Bore 71 Bore 81 Base surface 82 Leg 83 Bore First, reference is made to point 1. An all-glass facade according to the invention essentially comprises a facade support structure, at least one, preferably several, glass holders 5, and a number of surface elements 3. For spatial orientation, it will be assumed below that the facade support structure faces a wall, in particular a house wall, whereas the surface elements are arranged in front of the facade support structure. The surface elements are preferably laminated glass panes. Other surface elements, for example, plastic sheets, steel sheets, panels, etc., are conceivable. The facade support structure essentially comprises posts 1 and transoms 2. Posts 1 are elongated hollow aluminum profiles, typically mounted vertically and overhead. Transoms 2 are also elongated hollow aluminum profiles, typically mounted horizontally. Of course, other materials and profile shapes are possible. Posts 1 and transoms 2 are assembled to form a grid-like facade support structure with approximately square or rectangular openings. Panel elements 3 are positioned primarily in front of the openings of the facade support structure. Seals 4 are provided for sealing and supporting the panel elements 3 on the facade support structure. The glass holder 5 has two wings 51 and a shaft 52. The shaft 52 is connected at its end to the facade support structure. The wings 51 are provided on the opposite side of the shaft 52 and extend essentially perpendicularly from the shaft 52. Overall, the glass holder 5 is preferably a metal profile with an approximately T- or L-shaped cross-section and a plastic cap. To connect the surface elements 3 to the facade support structure, the glass holders 5 are connected on one side to the facade support structure and on the other side to the respective surface elements 3. To connect the glass holder 5 to the surface element 3, an opening 32, in particular a groove, is provided in at least one side surface 31 of the surface element. The wing 51 of the glass holder 5 can engage in this opening 32. When two surface elements 3 are assembled, their two side surfaces 31 face each other, forming a gap 6 between them. In addition to the glass holders 5, insulating profiles 7 also project into this gap 6. These are foam or plastic profiles with hollow chambers, which are also attached to the facade support structure. The insulating profiles 7 can be positioned between the longitudinally spaced glass holders 5, depending on the thermal insulation requirements. However, the insulating profiles 7 can also be omitted if, for example, no special thermal insulation requirements exist. The aforementioned gap 6 is visible to an observer of the all-glass facade unless concealment measures are taken. For concealment and further sealing of the facade, this gap 6 is sealed with at least silicone 9 or similar filler material. To ensure that the silicone 9 does not enter the area of ​​the glass holder 5, a sealing profile A, 8 is provided, which is attached to the at least one glass holder 5 and extends at least across the width of the gap 6. Preferably, the sealing profile A, 8 is an elongated profile which, if several glass holders 5 are installed in the gap 6, is connected to each glass holder 5. Preferably, the sealing profile A, 8 extends along the length of the gap 6. The sealing profile A, 8 is oriented essentially parallel to the mullions 1 or transoms 2. According to the prior art (2 and 2a), the sealing profile A is essentially a flat profile that seals the gap 6, which is to be filled with silicone 9, for example, so that no liquid silicone 9 can reach the area of ​​the glass holders 5 or insulation profiles 7. However, such a construction offers little protection against break-ins. The silicone 9 can be removed, thereby making the glass holders 5 accessible. Using appropriate lever tools, the panel element 3 can be pried out of the all-glass facade. According to the invention, the sealing profile 8 is designed to have a U-shaped cross-section, at least in sections, and in particular to have a base 81 and two legs 82. With this design of the sealing profile 8, it is also possible to seal the gap 6 in such a way that no silicone 9 can enter the area of ​​the glass holders 5 or insulating profiles 7. In addition, a sealing profile 8 according to the invention allows access to the glass holders 5 or insulating profiles 7 and also to the side surfaces 31 of the surface elements 3 to be blocked, even after the silicone 9 has been removed. For this purpose, the legs 82 of the U-shaped sealing profile 8 prevent unauthorized access by a tool to the area of ​​the glass holders 5. Preferably, the locking profile 8 may be an elongated aluminum profile with a U-shaped cross-section. Other materials, such as steel or plastic, are of course also conceivable. The locking profile 8 may also have a U-shaped cross-section only in certain sections and a different cross-section, for example, an L-shaped cross-section, in others. With the latter configuration of the locking profile 8, in particular, very selective burglar protection can be achieved exclusively in the area of ​​the glass holders 5. The insulating profiles 7, for example, may only be covered by the L-shaped cross-section. Such a locking profile 8 can also be adapted to different gap dimensions. It can also be provided that the U-shaped locking profile 8 according to the invention is connected to the facade support structure, in particular to the respective post 1 or the transom 2, and / or the glass holder 5 and / or the insulation profile 7, in a particularly robust manner. Various possibilities are conceivable here. Preferably, at least one screw 10 is provided, which is inserted through a bore 83 of the U-shaped locking profile 8 and through a corresponding through-bore 53 of the glass holder 5 and / or through-bore 71 of the insulation profile 7 and is screwed into a bore or threaded groove 11 of the post 1 or transom 2. To increase burglary protection, it can also be provided that the head of at least one screw 10 is rendered unusable after installation. This can be done, for example, by selecting a head with an Allen key hole ® or Torx key hole ®, whereby the Allen key hole ® or Torx key hole ® is drilled out after installation.

Claims

All-glass facade comprising at least one facade support structure (1, 2) and a number of surface elements (3) which are attached in front of the facade support structure (1, 2), wherein at least two surface elements (3), in particular two mutually facing side surfaces (31) of the surface elements (3), form a gap (6), wherein at least one glass holder (5) is provided which is connected to the facade support structure (1, 2) and the surface elements (3) and extends through a section of the gap (6), wherein the gap (6) is partially filled with silicone (9), wherein a sealing profile is attached between the silicone (9) and the at least one glass holder (5), characterized in that the sealing profile (8) has at least a section with a U-shaped cross-section, which is arranged in such a way that access to the at least one glass holder and to the side surfaces (31) of the surface elements (3) is blocked. All-glass facade according to claim 1, characterized in that the facade support structure has a number of posts (1) and beams (2) which form a grid-shaped facade support structure. All-glass facade according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the facade support structure forms openings, wherein the surface elements (3) are arranged in front of the openings of the facade support structure. All-glass facade according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the surface elements (3) are laminated glass panes. All-glass facade according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one glass holder (5) has a shaft (52) and two legs (51) extending from the shaft, wherein the legs (51) engage in openings (32), in particular in grooves, of the surface elements (3), in particular in the side surfaces (31) of the surface elements (3). All-glass facade according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one insulating profile (7) is provided which projects into the gap (6). All-glass facade according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the barrier profile (8) is an elongated profile, in particular an aluminum profile. All-glass facade according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the barrier profile (8) has an L-shaped cross-section in sections. All-glass facade according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sealing profile (8) is connected to the facade support structure (1, 2) and / or to the at least one glass holder (5) and / or to the at least one insulating profile (7) by means of at least one screw (10). All-glass facade according to claim 9, characterized in that the head of the at least one screw (10) has been rendered unusable after assembly.

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