The Exchange Building, Dublin

As famous for its wet weather as its history and culture, Dublin is a location that would challenge the longevity of any cladding system. That is why DOWSIL™ and Geocel high performance construction sealant products were selected for use on the cladding of a highly prestigious new project in the heart of the city’s financial district.

The Exchange Building is one of the most significant commercial development in the Irish capital’s financial centre since 2003. Cosgrove Properties led the project as developer for IPUT Real Estate, Ireland’s leading property company and the largest owner of offices in Dublin, with Sisk as main contractor and KMD Architecture heading up the design team. As part of the development, a comprehensive curtain wall and stone cladding package was designed, manufactured and installed by Alucraft. This package made use of a range of high-performance sealant products, such as DOWSIL™ 791 Weatherproofing Sealant and 993 Structural Glazing Sealant, all supplied by The Sherwin-Williams Company, with Alucraft’s installation sub-contractor supplying natural stone elements for part of the façade where Geocel 925 NS features.

The DOWSIL™ and Geocel products were specifically selected, not only due to their proven track record on other projects, but also because of the quality control measures that the Sherwin-Williams Company maintains, both in its factory and on site.

The Exchange Building’s exterior envelope is visually striking, with complex combination of stone cladding, sloped atrium glazing and stick-build, as well as unitised curtain walling.  All weatherproofed using DOWSIL™ 791.

DOWSIL™ 791 is a specially developed weatherproofing sealant available in clear, as well as white, grey, black brown, bronze, stone, buff limestone and anthracite. It is most commonly used to seal glass to glass joints in commercial glass buildings where the IGU comprises of a DOWSIL™ secondary sealant such as DOWSIL™ 3363.  

DOWSIL™ 3363 Insulating Glass Sealant is specifically formulated for modern architectural designs that feature larger glass areas, and particularly on tall buildings where wind and other loads are generally higher. The two-part neutral curing, high modulus silicone sealant is twice as strong as conventional products while facilitating faster unit assembly and greater durability.

In addition, Geocel 925 Non-Staining Façade Joint Sealant was also used on the development, to fix the Silver White Pedras Salgas Stone cladding, with Geocel 925 used to seal the open joints in-situ. 

Geocel 925 is a one part high performance polymer based sealant developed for use on prestige properties exposed to extreme weather conditions and UV light, as well as aggressive atmospheric conditions.

The Exchange Building has been built to a Grade A standard, with an A3 energy rating, as well as a LEED Gold environmental standard. Work commenced on the 107,500 sq ft six-storey office building in 2016 and was completed in 2017. The lead tenants include Walkers Global, A&L Goodbody, Partner Reinsurance Europe SE, and The Food Safety Authority of Ireland. There is also a 1,200 sq ft retail unit fronting onto George’s Dock and a smaller (500 sq ft) shop on Common Street.