It is two years since Pilkington’s Activ self cleaning glass became available on the market. At a birthday bash last month at the Dorchester hotel, the glassmaker announced dedicated marketing and technical support for the product, and a competition for architects to encourage the use of Activ.

Pilkington ProActiv offers an online support service (www.activglass.com) that provides access to marketing support materials, designed to make it easy for the trade to learn about and promote Activ. Consumer brochures, point of sale materials and certificates of installation are among the items that can be ordered online. Activ suppliers get a detailed listing on the site. Back-up from a dedicated technical advice team is also available through the site, which already contains detailed information and a list of compatible glazing materials.

Hundreds of products have now been tested for compatibility and Pilkington has produced a special mark to indicate when a product has been approved for use with Activ.

Architects competition

Pilkington has also announced the Pilkington Activ Project Partnership, a competition designed to discover ideal projects for the glass. Architects and other specifiers are being asked to nominate current commercial projects that make extensive use of external glass and those chosen will be upgraded with Activ at no extra cost.

Matt Buckley, Marketing Director for Pilkington Building Products UK explained: ‘Using Pilkington Activ, architects around the world are now pushing back the boundaries of the use of glass in buildings as they can now install glass in areas that would previously have been unrealistic due to later maintenance and access issues. We hope that the Pilkington Activ Project Partnership scheme will stimulate architects in the UK to at least consider which of their current projects would be suitable, and to submit their entry. In return, we will benefit from having a prestigious project to demonstrate the benefits of Pilkington Activ.’

Fire & low-E properties

Titanium oxide makes Activ self cleaning, a term due to be clarified by a draft European Norm. This hard coating has a dual action, making rain sheet off the glass while speeding decomposition of dirt on exposure to the sun’s rays. External condensation also disappears more quickly. Being an external coating, Activ can be combined with solar control and fire properties, and Pilkington is bullish about its Activ Suncool 70/40, which is seen as ideal solution for conservatories.

Two years after its launch, enough Activ is sold every week in the UK to glaze 150 households, which is perhaps a bit disappointing considering its ‘wonder product’ billing. Activ generally adds 10-20 per cent to the cost of windows, but some window companies offer it as a free promotional extra, as conservatory installers might do with blinds or furniture. Following the domestic roll-out, various sizes of window companies are offering it, including Everest and BAC. It is hoped that the Project Partnership competition kickstarts commercial demand.

www.activglass.com

Source

Glass Age