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Laminated safety glass used in Milan high-tech conference and exhibition center

One of the halls in "6A Montenapoleone", a new, high-tech conference and exhibition center in the heart of Milan's fashion "Mecca". The windows facing the busy shopping arcade are of laminated safety glass with DuPont™ Butacite® PVB.

A new, high-tech conference and exhibition center situated at the heart of Milan's prestigious fashion 'Mecca', the Via Montenapoleone shopping gallery, uses laminated safety glass with DuPont^™ Butacite^® PVB for the facades that face the busy shopping arcade.

The Italian building code specifies that laminated safety glass must be used for public building facades on thorough-fares – as do building codes throughout Europe.

Laminated Architectural Glass is the only optical quality, safety glazing material available that remains intact when smashed. If broken, the glass adheres to the resilient interlayer of Butacite^® PVB, remaining relatively harmless, unlike ordinary glass which, when broken, may create dangerous shards. Laminated glass also helps to resist intrusion from burglars and, even if it is accidentally broken, the interlayer continues to safeguard the building until the glass is replaced.

Architect Carlo Sala elegantly transformed the original building, called simply "6A Montenapoleone", into a showpiece of Italian high-tech design that blends perfectly with the chic ambiance of Via Montenapoleone. He explained: "It was important for me to use the largest possible (200 cm long by 170 cm high) window panes for the center's façade. For me, these windows are like huge eyes looking out onto the fascinating, bustling and fashionable life of the Via Montenapoleone. With such large window panes facing the packed shopping street, it was essential, for safety reasons, to use laminated glass."

The laminated glass used in 6A Montenapoleone and supplied by Italian laminator Isolglas includes a 6mm layer of tempered glass on the street side and a 0.76mm interlayer of DuPont^™ Butacite^® PVB. A reflectant green glass is used on the exterior surface of the laminated safety glass façade, enabling shoppers to see themselves and the whole of Milan's fashion world passing by the building.

Laminated glass with DuPont^™ Butacite^® PVB provides strength and beauty, durability and clarity to meet architectural design needs. Long-lasting and versatile, it is the only glazing material that combines the durability and strength of glass with toughness and impact resistance.