Jun 18 2009
The new "Wicona Test Center" - one of the most advanced of its kind - opens a window to an energy-efficient future for buildings. Centrally localized in Germany, the center is a showcase for Hydro's advanced building systems of aluminium.
The Wicona Test Centre will be able to test façade elements up to 10 meters high.
Hydro's President and CEO Svein Richard Brandtzæg will inaugurate the Wicona Test Center in Bellenberg, Germany, on Tuesday, June 23.
Invited guests and speakers include architects and energy experts from Europe and the U.S.
Major supplier
"As a major global supplier of building systems based on aluminium extrusions, Hydro has a clear vision on buildings that produce their own energy and deliver the surplus energy back to the grid. We are happy to document it with our new facility," Brandtzæg says.
The new Wicona Test Center is a showcase for Hydro's advanced buildings systems technology as well as cutting-edge, climate-friendly building features. Wicona is one of Hydro's building systems brands.
Year-round testing
The test center - developed by Hydro's building systems brand, Wicona - will allow year-round, indoor testing of windows, facades and other building components
In addition, the test center has been constructed with the latest in energy-saving features, like rooftop solar energy panels and active management of heat and light to minimize energy consumption.
Green building
Not only is the test center carbon-neutral, it is energy-positive. That is, on average it can produce more energy than it uses.
New buildings typically consume more than 100 kilowatt-hours per square meter annually. In contrast, the Wicona Test Center consumes less than 40 kilowatt-hours per square meter.