525 unique glass panels

Glass roof for iconic building

At the request of Licotec Daklicht B.V., Global Glass Group supplied the glass for the roof of the historic building, an assignment that required logistical ingenuity in addition to precision. Consequently, the project for the University Library of the University of Amsterdam (UvA) proved to be a special challenge.

Arnaud Roozen, director/owner of Global Glass Group explains: "It was quite a complex job, especially because of the dimensions and accessibility in the middle of Amsterdam. The building is probably on the hardest-to-reach stretch of Amsterdam. So you can't just get there with big cranes and trucks. Everything had to be planned to perfection."

Complex puzzle

The sizing of the glass was also a challenge. "We had to provide huge triangular windows for the roof. A total of 525 glass panels were involved, each with unique dimensions. You don't see jobs like that every day. But I can assure you, now you can walk on that roof without any problems." Roozen emphasizes that collaboration with Licotec Daklicht B.V. was crucial to the success of this project. "Licotec handled the engineering and assembly of the roof and glass, while we focused on consulting, supplying and manufacturing the glass. In this way we have successfully completed many challenging projects, such as Loods 5 in Maastricht. Also a historic building, by the way."

In addition to the technical aspects, the choice of solar control glass also played an important role, to optimize both light and energy savings. "We worked with Guardian, one of our international partners, for this." Notwithstanding the challenges, Roozen looks back on the project with pride: "It is always special to be able to work on such an iconic building, especially in a city like Amsterdam."