With a height of 492 metres, the Shanghai World Financial Center is one of the tallest buildings in China. It was designed by renowned American architectural firm Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF) and developed by the Mori Building Company of Japan. The Center is a mixed-use supertall skyscraper, consisting of offices, hotels, conference rooms, observation decks and ground-floor shopping malls.
Approximately 100,000m² of glass was treated with ‘non-stick’, easy-clean ClearShield® in the factory prior to installation in 2006. This meant any harsh inorganic contaminants on the glass, such as concrete splatter and cement dust, was easier to remove during construction. Therefore ClearShield® reduced potential costly delays during construction and provided a significantly lower-cost alternative to replacing the glass due to surface damage.
For more information about Ritec’s glass protection solutions, visit www.ritec.co.uk.
Since 2000, buildings in the Rockerfeller Center complex were owned and managed by Tishman Speyer, a very large and well-known real estate investment company.
However, Tishman Speyer was constantly frustrated with the high-maintenance acid-etched glass elevator doors which had unsightly fingermarks on the surface. The company even considered replacing the doors at great expense, even though the glass was relatively new.
The ClearShield System® ‘non-stick’, easy-clean glass surface treatment was subsequently specified and applied on-site in 2006, making the glass not only resistant to fingermarks, but also lower in maintenance. ClearShield® therefore helped save money on cleaning costs, and gave Tishman Speyer a long-term solution to keep the glass doors looking like new.
For more information about Ritec ClearShield®, visit www.ritec.co.uk.
Ritec International is proud to be a fully-registered Silver Plus supplier on Achilles UVDB (Utilities Vendor Database) Community. This is the UK’s biggest utilities supplier online management community and the fourth year running that Ritec has successfully re-certified its registration.
UVDB is the utility industry pre-qualification system used by the utilities sector in the UK to manage risk within the supply chain and comply with necessary regulations. Utility companies strive for a transparent and efficient collaboration with best-in-class suppliers and UVDB helps to achieve that.
The scheme is a perfect fit for Ritec’s Systems that provide solutions for the renovation, ‘non-stick’ protection and maintenance for a range of surfaces. Ritec’s Systems include the ClearShield Eco-System® for glass and other vitreous surfaces, the Ritecoat System® for metal, plastic and painted surfaces, and the VoltShield System® for glass and glazed ceramic electrical insulators. The Systems were developed to resist dirt, staining and discolouration as well as upgrading existing surfaces so they are easier to clean and keep clean.
Martin Burkett AIIRSM, Ritec’s General Manager responsible for maintaining the registration, says: “Once again we are proud to be members of UVDB Community which allows us ultimately to save time and money in responding to repetitive pre-qualification questions. The scheme allows us to achieve new business through a transparent and open platform.”
It gives Ritec great pleasure to announce that Mr Martin Burkett has now been promoted to the role of General Manager!
As Ritec’s Production Manager and Health & Safety Officer for over 23 years, Martin has been an invaluable member of the Ritec team and has made an outstanding contribution both to the company’s operations and in supporting its international network of Marketing Partners. Ritec thanks him for all of his hard work and continued loyalty and dedication.
Martin says: “I am excited about my promotion! I would like to thank Stephen – although he is sadly no longer with us – and Karen Byers along with Rakhi (Ritec’s Company Secretary) for recognising my accomplishments over the past few years by promoting me to General Manager. I look forward to the continued success of Ritec and our close-knit team”.
The exterior glass of Luton Airport Parkway Railway Station in the UK had not been properly cleaned since it opened in 1999 so there was a significant amount of unsightly dirt build-up. Thameslink Rail, the company that runs the station, had to find a long-lasting solution. So in 2004, Ritec’s On-Site Application Team subsequently treated glass at the station, including the entrance façade and platform shelters with its award-winning ClearShield® System for glass renovation, ‘non-stick’ easy-clean protection and maintenance. This provided a cleaner and more comfortable environment for passengers and staff alike.
A representative of Thameslink Rail, the station’s operating company, said: “The glazing was difficult to keep clean – regular cleaning was not effective and was costly. We needed something that kept glass cleaner longer and, if needed, made the cleaning easier to do.”
Glass treated with ClearShield® resists staining and discolouration and so keeps glass looking like clean for longer. Brake dust from trains is particularly harmful to unprotected glass surfaces and is usually difficult, if not impossible, to remove. But thanks to ClearShield®, the glass is protected from harsh contamination such as brake dust, and cleaning the glass is made significantly easier.
Thameslink is extremely pleased with the ClearShield® treatment, and the brighter, cleaner station offers a much more attractive welcome to passengers.
For more information about Ritec ClearShield, visit www.ritec.co.uk.
Windows in a house in Høybråten, northeast Oslo in Norway, were renovated and protected with the Ritec ClearShield Eco-System®, saving the owners significant stress, time and money.
The homeowners had their old roof professionally refurbished. They were happy with the results but later discovered residue from fluids sprayed on the roof tiles had blown away and drifted on to glass on the front of the house, bonding to it and ruining the view. This inorganic contamination on the glass became impossible to remove using standard cleaning products.
The roofing company was contacted, but ultimately their only solution was to provide financial compensation to have the affected glass to the front of the house replaced. The homeowners had no option but to accept this, mindful that glass replacement would still be a hassle. But worse still, the homeowners later realised all windows around the house were contaminated so this also needed resolving, adding to the expense and stress.
OverflateXperten – Ritec International’s Marketing Partner in Norway – approached the homeowners with a fast, cost-effective alternative: the ClearShield Eco-System®. This is a unique and proven system specially developed to renovate, protect and maintain glass in situ. Rather than having to put up with the hassle and greater expense of having all the glass replaced, this was undoubtedly the better option. Additionally, any future contamination would not bond to the protected surface and would be easily washed away.
OverflateXperten’s proposal to treat all windows around the house was accepted and they got to work. In no time, the glass was renovated with specialist Ritec products so looked as good as when they were first installed. The next stage was to protect the glass with award-winning Ritec ClearShield® to provide a ‘non-stick’, easy-clean invisible barrier, upgrading the ordinary glass to ClearShield Eco-Glass® which has many benefits:
Always easier to clean and keep clean
Glass looks like new for longer
Resists staining and discolouration
Resists bacterial adhesion and growth
The homeowners were delighted with OverflateXperten’s glass renovation and protection work, saying: “Thank you for a great job! We literally see the world in a new way now!”
This project highlights the many benefits of glass renovation with the ClearShield Eco-System®. Not only does the process save time, manpower, hassle and money, it is greener to have existing glass treated and re-used in this way rather having to remove and replace with new windows.
For more information about Ritec ClearShield®, visit www.ritec.co.uk.
The Integer Hong Kong Pavilion is a research and educational project promoting better performance in housing by combining intelligent and environmental technologies with innovative construction techniques. According to the architects Leigh & Orange (L&O), this project researched and integrated a number of environmental considerations. It is designed with modular prefabricated elements that can be dismantled and with movable partitions and systems to allow flexibility. Low energy systems including passive systems, shading, insulation, wind turbines, photo-voltaic panels, solar panels, central air conditioning with local control have been integrated targeting 25% energy saving. Efficient water systems, including spray taps, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, grey-water recycling targeted for 50% water saving. Other features such as improved air quality systems, waste separation refuse systems, planted sky gardens, atria, balconies, recyclable building materials including the Pavilion which can be recycled, or dismantled and re-erected in another location.
A team of experts from Hong Kong and London worked for more than 18 months to design and build the Pavilion and was opened in November 2001.
Ritec ClearShield® ‘non-stick’, easy-clean glass surface protection was specified as this too has green credentials: because the glass looks cleaner for longer and has less dirt build-up, this special glass reduces frequency of cleaning. This in turn saves water, and is easily maintained using products that are kind to the environment. Approximately 250m² of glass was treated on-site.
For more information about Ritec ClearShield®, visit www.ritec.co.uk.
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