FRAMELESS WALLS | SAVE MATERIAL, TIME AND LABOR ONSITE
ClearConnect is a series of nearly invisible installation details for Bonded Series panels that takes advantage of the inherent structural strength and extraordinary strength-to-weight ratio of honeycomb technology.
ClearConnect installation details accomplish three critical goals:
1. A minimal design aesthetic – including long spans of walls that appear seamless, and pre-mitered corners.
2. Minimal material usage. In addition to the efficiency of honeycomb (70-80% less raw material than translucent panel alternates) no metal framing is required, further saving cost, coordination,and labor.
3. Extraordinary time and labor savings on site, thanks to the simplicity of the details, the low weight of the panels, and the ease of trimming panels on site.
A MINIMAL DESIGN AESTHETIC
The following projects illustrate the extraordinarily minimal – nearly invisible – detailing that is possible with the ClearConnect system. Visit the ClearConnect system page to explore the range of details and other applications.
ClearConnect BF-ITL3 at Bencore offices, Italy.
ClearConnect BF-ITL3 at Bencore offices, Italy.
ClearConnect BF-ITL3 at Inter Milan Offices, San Siro Stadium, Italy.
ClearConnect BF-ITL3 at Nuno Nono Nursery, Valencia Spain.
REDUCED MATERIAL USAGE: HOW DOES HONEYCOMB TECHNOLOGY ALLOW FOR SUCH MINIMAL INSTALLATION DETAILS?
Bonded Series™ panels apply honeycomb technology to produce lightweight, self-structural composite panels using 70-80% less raw material than a solid resin sheet of comparable thickness, to reduce environmental impact and make installation more efficient.
“The basic concept of honeycomb panel construction is to use thin, dense, strong facing materials bonded to a thick, lightweight honeycomb core. This produces the most efficient strength-to-weight and stiffness-to-weight structures attainable.”(1)
Honeycomb core consists of a lightweight cellular network in which each cell wall acts like the web of an I-beam when the honeycomb is bonded to thin facings. The resulting sandwich panel has the exceptional stiffness and strength of a network of small I-beams while maintaining a very low weight.
SAVE TIME AND LABOR IN INSTALLATION
The simplicity of ClearConnect details can dramatically reduce the project schedule and the on-site installation time.
Bonded Series panels with ClearConnect details can be ordered as full-sized sheets and trimmed onsite with standard woodworking tools, eliminating the need to wait for verified field dimensions and reducing the risk for installing contractors in ordering custom sizes. Interlocking joints allow the panels to be virtually self-aligning and eliminate the need for any vertical framing. Clients provide Panelite’s project management team with positive feedback regarding installation labor and time being reduced roughly in half compared to other materials, especially glass.
Panelite honeycomb panels are far lighter than other light-transmitting materials, and can typically be carried by a single installer.
Installation at Sprint EBC by Total Interiors contractors.
(1) Tom Bitzer, Honeycomb Technology: Materials, Design, Manufacturing, Applications and Testing (London: Cambridge University Press, 1997), iii.
