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Larvotto - windows falling!

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  1. #71

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    Eh? The sun is only directly overhead on two occasions each year (for locations within the tropics, as HK is; for locations outside the tropics it never is). For all but a very brief period around the summer solstice the south facing side of the building will get more exposure to direct sunlight than a north facing side; in fact an exactly north facing side in Hong Kong will only get any direct exposure for brief periods around noon for a few days around the summer solstice.

  2. #72

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    Here is another explanation:
    http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Do_the_sun...to_what_degree

    My link doesn't dispute that water is highly reflective and it will reflect many things to a building facing the water.
    The other side will get much less.

  3. #73

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    Actually, i ended up talking to an incredibly reliable source about the breakage.

    There are two types of failures happening, one is the windows falling (which has to do with my previous post about the hinge issues probably).

    The other type is the coating issue. Basically, glass manufacturers expect a failure rate among their glass panes but the cost is so prohibitive to get it to 100%, they essentially just buy insurance for the glasses that do fail and repair it as it occurs.

    I suspect the reason we hear more about Larvotto's is becuse it is a residential complex so the OC are more concerned than normal. For new office buildings, including a number of recently build curtain wall towers, these glass pane breakages are quite normal but probably a lot less talked about because the tenants are never really the owners, and the owners themselves (the building) has no incentive to mention it.


  4. #74

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    Quote Originally Posted by AsiaKid:
    Actually, i ended up talking to an incredibly reliable source about the breakage.
    There are two types of failures happening, one is the windows falling (which has to do with my previous post about the hinge issues probably).
    If anyone's BS detector is working, it should be ringing alarm bells right about here...

  5. #75

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    Quote Originally Posted by HowardCoombs:
    If anyone's BS detector is working, it should be ringing alarm bells right about here...
    Nice diversion there. You go on wiki and mention some water reflection (did you even realize that the front side and back side of Larvotto has different construction methods? The front side is curtain wall, the back side is more standard brick (?) and windows - hence the reason why the breakages typically occur on the full floor-to ceiling windows (not exactly floor-to-ceiling though)?

    On my side, I actually talk to someone that is in charge of the engineering design and build of these types of buildings - i guess maybe he got his facts from wiki too (maybe his whole degree was thanks to wiki). You don't have to take my word for it. Just stating what i heard but also protecting my source. But why don't people just simply vet what I am saying, by checking around and seeing if many (if not all) of the new curtain wall buildings experienced glass breakages? especially in the beginning? Probably so, its just less announced because the developer and subsequent owner are one and the same when it comes to commercial property.

    If you know any senior civil engineers who are actually in charge of the construction of these buildings, go and ask them yourselves, otherwise go have fun on wiki. Apparently, they have the synopses on the latest movies too, be careful of the spoilers if and when you encounter them.

  6. #76

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    Quote Originally Posted by AsiaKid:
    Nice diversion there. You go on wiki and mention some water reflection (did you even realize that the front side and back side of Larvotto has different construction methods? The front side is curtain wall, the back side is more standard brick (?) and windows - hence the reason why the breakages typically occur on the full floor-to ceiling windows (not exactly floor-to-ceiling though)?
    Great, mystery solved - now we know why there are more breakages on the front - its because there is much more glass there.

    On my side, I actually talk to someone that is in charge of the engineering design and build of these types of buildings
    So, tell us, what did he say exactly about your theory?
    Here are your previous quotes:
    - I am surprised that noone realized the obvious reason for why the windows are falling out. Anyone that lives in Larvotto already knows the reason. It is the people who mod the sea-facing windows to open and leave them open for a while.
    - I dont know if so many windows have dropped
    - There are two types of failures happening, one is the windows falling (which has to do with my previous post about the hinge issues probably).

    You've jumping around a bit and coating your answers with vagueness. What did the guy say exactly about windows falling?

  7. #77

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    Here we go again- a window on the 35th floor cracked and broke and fell on a car yesterday.


  8. #78

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    ...and an explanation of why (possibly) this is happening (nickel sulphate contamination in the glass)...cue gary on where the glass came from....

    INXS likes this.

  9. #79

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    It looks to me like its Nickel sulphide.

    Which is basically a small inclusion in tempered glass that grows when heated by the sun and shatters the glass.
    Industry standards and building control require a process called heat soak testing, which is a destructive test that is carried out in the factory. If the glass has nickel sulphide, it breaks during the test.

    The process requires the glass to be held in an oven at 280 deg for a number of hours. It's a bit of a bottle neck in the factory process and has a bit of a cost to it. (Electricity for heating the oven)

    It's not unheard of for suppliers to provide paperwork saying the heat soak testing has been carried out, when it actually hasn't.


  10. #80

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    It was like the Arch a couple of years ago, windows started falling from the apartments and the developer had to replace them. These so called luxury apartments in Hong Kong are so ridiculously overpriced it's not funny.

    pandancake likes this.

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