International. The National Olympic State of Beijing, the Taipei 101 skyscraper or the Dallas Cowboys Stadium, are just some examples of emblematic buildings that have something in common: the same secret to join their pipes.
Around the world there are many famous constructions in which Victaulic technology has been used. This is because Victaulic couplings for joining pipes avoid using welds in the field as is traditionally done by increasing installation efficiency and safety. Victaulic colutions have been used in several iconic constructions such as those described below:
- National Olympic Stadium in Beijing (China). Members of the Beijing Olympic Games organizing committee and contractors chose Victaulic's® systems because of the ease in their placement and alignment for the installations of the Olympic stadium's heating, ventilation, and air conditioning piping systems, better known as "Bird's Nest". This allowed to reduce the installation time by 50% compared to traditional welding systems, in addition to offering protection to the pipes against possible seismic activity.
- Taipei skyscraper (Taiwan Island). This building is the sixth tallest in the world and is located in one of the areas with the highest seismic activity, so it required the installation of piping systems capable of accommodating the differential movement due to the high intensity of the earthquakes. Project contractors chose Victaulic solutions for the mechanical joining of pipes in HVAC, plumbing and fire protection systems. The flexible couplings and expansion joints offered by Victaulic were used at strategic points in the aforementioned systems to protect them against movements that can be generated during a seismic event.
- AT&T Stadium (USA). Previously known as the dallas Cowboys stadium, construction of this new football team stadium was completed in 2009 and at the time it was the largest and most impressive stadium ever built in the United States. Victaulic solutions were selected to ensure construction times, reduce costs and increase property safety. Victaulic solutions were installed in the plumbing, drainage, air conditioning and fire protection systems ensuring that the project was delivered on time and with a reduction in costs.
- The Arena Monterrey (Mexico). When the stadium was built, the contractor had to complete the installation of 4.5 km of pipes for the HVAC system within three months in order to deliver the work in time for the Summit of the Americas. The implementation of Victaulic solutions for the mechanical joining of piping systems from 2" to 14" allowed the contractor to achieve its goal.
- The Public Library of the State of Jalisco (Mexico). Completed in 2012, this library houses invaluable bibliographic treasures such as the Collection of Books on Indigenous Languages, declared Memory of the World by Unesco. For this reason, it was necessary to equip the library with a system that in addition to providing fire protection, was able to ensure the integrity of these treasures. The Fire Suppression System for Special Hazards Victaulic Vortex™ was selected as the solution to protect the substation and transformer of the edition. Victaulic Vortex discharges a fine mist composed of nitrogen and fine water droplets with diameters less than 10 microns, with the purpose of extinguishing fires efficiently and safely by means of oxygen displacement and heat absorption.
- The Eiffel Tower (France). With 324 meters high and about seven million visitors a year, the Eiffel Tower needs to always be at the forefront in terms of security systems. In 2012, the Eiffel Tower safety team decided to upgrade the fire protection system and selected a Victaulic preaction system to meet strict fire safety standards.
- This system allows the pipes to be loaded with water as soon as the fire alarm system detects the presence of smoke. However, it does not come into action until an increase in temperature is detected that causes the activation of a sprinkler, ensuring safety and minimizing damage due to false alarms.
- El Dorado International Airport (Colombia). With a superior capacity to serve more than 20 million passengers a year, it is the largest airport in the Andean region. The new facilities were equipped with a complete fire protection system, capable of adapting to the modern construction design, with high and curved ceilings. Victaulic components such as devices in the FireLock™ NXT line as well as FireLock EZ™ couplings with Installation-Ready™ technology provided speed and convenience in system installation as well as a 30% reduction in costs.
This solution, in addition to having proven to be highly effective in firefighting, has an almost zero wetting factor and is friendly to the environment, avoiding damage to protected property and human beings.
