Karwendel, Germany
Window installation at dizzying heights:
Multifunctional sealing tape has proven itself in Germany's second highest mountain station
Installing a window at 2,244 metres is not an everyday occurrence and the demands placed on the products used are particularly high. That is why the people in charge of the contracted company MarStein decided on illbruck system solutions from CPG Europe for the renovation of the mountain station of the Karwendelbahn.
On the edge of the Karwendel mountains lies the western Karwendelspitze, a 2,385-metre-high mountain on the border between Bavaria, Germany and Tyrol, Austria. The best way for visitors to get up there is to take the Karwendelbahn, the second highest gondola lift in Germany, from Mittenwald in Bavaria.
The first port of call is the mountain station there. It houses a mountain restaurant, an event hall (for weddings, company seminars or balls) and the giant telescope, which protrudes far over the cliff edge and provides information about the habitat in the high mountains with various depictions. Another attraction is the highest brewery and distillery in Germany. The breathtaking viewing point will be created in three construction phases, with all-glass window systems being used close to the ground. The entire building is being renovated with high-quality aluminium window and door elements by MarStein GmbH from Leutasch in neighboring Austria.
Highest demands on the window as a whole
With the introduction of the GEG, the airtight building envelope is mandatory for renovations. Also due to the occasional extreme weather conditions to which Germany's second-highest mountain station is regularly exposed, the requirements for the systems used in terms of driving rain and airtightness were correspondingly high. It is not only the windows themselves that play a special role, but also their professional installation, including sealing. This is because the connecting joints between the wall and the window can quickly become weak points. In this context, the three sealing levels are key; on the outside, the joints must be impervious to driving rain and open to vapor diffusion, in the intermediate area they must be heat and sound insulating and airtight on the inside. Comprehensive planning was also important here. This is exactly where the MarStein philosophy comes into play. Specialising in the manufacture and assembly of windows, doors, sun protection, garage doors and metal processing, the company attaches great importance to good and comprehensive project management: "Advice, planning, manufacture, assembly, support and service".
Considering the high on-site requirements, including avalanche and fire protection, all windows and doors have reinforced aluminum elements with triple safety glazing. Together with the illbruck technician from CPG Europe, Martin Steinkasserer, one of the two managing directors of MarStein, decided to use the illbruck TP654 illmod TRIO 1050 multifunctional tape from the illbruck i3 system for the window sealing. It covers all three sealing levels at the same time and ensures a high degree of air tightness, 100% better than required by the standard, sound insulation up to 60 dB and impermeability to driving rain up to 1,050 Pa. It thus exceeds the requirements of DIN 18542-MF1. The band's strength lies in its patent-pending unique geometry. TP654 illmod TRIO 1050 ensures the necessary continuous airtight layer through the film inside the tape and through the two grey foam layers that ensure continuous contact with the wall and the building element.
Window delivered by helicopter
The implementation of the renovation was very challenging, starting with the construction site logistics. The windows were delivered to the construction site by helicopter and the remaining materials were transported to a height of 2,234 metres by gondola.
The MarStein team is well positioned thanks to regular training, including practical training together with illbruck in the field of sealing. Due to the orientation of the mountain restaurant, it was not only a matter of professional assembly, but also of correctly securing the installers, as some of the windows had to be installed at a dizzying height above a rock face. This was a new challenge for the MarStein team and the installers were secured with a safety belt. The multifunction illbruck TP654 illmod TRIO 1050 tape can be installed quickly regardless of the weather, a useful property considering the wintery conditions in November, since the outer, middle and inner seal is implemented in a single step, saving up to 80 percent of sealing time. In addition, thanks to the special surface structure of TP654, the window can be easily integrated into the reveal. A further advantage is that the tape has no defined inside and outside, and therefore can be used on both sides, which prevents confusion (inner and outer side) during assembly. Due to the wide range of applications, logistics are also simplified, and fewer products have to be transported to the construction site - a real advantage for a construction site at an altitude of over 2,244 metres.
