The 4th edition of Zak World of Facades held on the 1st March at the ITC Maratha in Mumbai addressed the complex issues involved in a façade. A record 521 delegates attended which made it the largest ever conference dedicated to façades to have been held in India. The full day event, which ended by 11 pm, was a tribute to this ailing façade industry. The resounding presence of architects, builders, façade consultants, contractors and other representatives from the façade & fenestration industry; present throughout the day, was a true testament on the commitment shown by the industry to discuss, connect, network and engage with the who’s who of the fraternity.
The first session on Design & Testing commenced by a presentation on “Designing the façade using 3D modelling & simulation” by Mr Vijay from CAD Plan. Presenting next was Mr Simon Chin from Winwall Technology who stressed upon “The need for a façade performance test”. The session ended with an interactive group discussion moderated by Mr Bhisham Vaswani from Halfen on “Best design practices for façades” which included panelists Ar Chris Laack from Burt Hill, Mr KR Suresh from Axis Facades, Mr Selvam from Geotrix & Mr Simon Chin from Winwall.
The second session on Procurement & Production began with a presentation by Mr Senthil from Asahi on “Selecting the right choice of glass” to be followed by Mr Indrajit Roy on “Choosing the right quality of extrusion”. Next to present was Mr Uday Shetty on “Adopting European hardware for façades”. Mr Satish Kumar from Elumatec highlighted the need for “Automating & optimizing façade production”. He concluded the session by moderating an enlightening group discussion on “Challenges faced in P3 – planning, procurement & production”. The above speakers were joined on the panel discussion by Mr Sharanjit Singh from GSC Glass, Mr Dev Chandwani from Innovators & Mr Rahul Rajgaria from Pentagon Tapes.
The third session on Quality Control, Installation & New Innovations started with Mr Bhisham Vaswani from Halfen presenting on “Quality installations using cast-in-anchor channels” to be followed by Mr William Zhou from Guibao on “Silicone sealants for façades”. Ms Suhag Khemlani from Clean India imparted the techniques of “Façade maintenance & cleaning”. Next to present was Mr Lakshman from Aluform on “Solid aluminum cladding for façades”. Mr Shrikrishna Ginde from Belgium Aluminium appraised on “Reflection on precision for facades”
The last part of the third session showcased two first-of-its-kind presentations in India on “Façade lighting using integrated LED” by Mr CY Lim from PTP Singapore and “Media façade – How to use a façade as a profit center” by Mr Pankaj Gohil from Panin Hitech Products.
The second half of this event featured two interactive and engaging group discussions. The first group discussion moderated by Mr Selvam from Geotrix was on “Design safeguards, product choice & warranties” featuring panelists Ar Narin from L&T, Mr VS Ravi from Façade India Testing, Mr Kamlesh from Glass Wall Systems, Ar Anupam De from Anupam De & Associates, Mr Sharanjit Singh from GSC Glass, Mr Senthil from Asahi & Mr Ashok Gupta from Akzonobel.
The final session ended with yet another fiery group discussion on “The current scenario of the façade industry in India” with key emphasis on L1 projects, cash flow & manpower crisis. The session was once again moderated by Mr Selvam from Geotrix and had Ar Kiran Uchil from RSP, Mr Moorthy from L&T, Ar Sandeep Shikre from SSA Architects, Mr Mahesh from Meinhardt Façade, Mr Pankaj Keswani from Alufit & Mr Jawahar from Glass Wall Systems as the panelists.
The exhibition showcased 13 exclusive components for façades, which included Glass from Asahi, Aluminium Extrusions from Sapa Profiles & Global Aluminium, Anchor Channels from Halfen, Glazing Tapes from Pentagon, Hardware from Cotswold & Lavaal, Sealant from Guibo, Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) from DA Surya Shakti, Cladding from Aluform & Saray, Cradle from Clean India Group.
Solutions showcased a live display of a media façade. Glass Wall Systems along with Belgium Aluminium & Glass showcased their solutions for façade contracting.
March 1, 2013 will definitely be a day to remember with many key discussions on critical topics that have never been discussed before in public and boldly address core issues to every person involved in the Indian Façade and Fenestration industry.
The discussion & forum continues at the next editions of the Zak World of Façades conference series will be held in June in Chennai to be followed by New Delhi in August.
