About Our Customer

In the heart of the historic Gasabo district, the RPF HQ sits on a 27 acre piece of land. The property has a large conference hall that can accommodate 2,600 people, a secretariat office, several office buildings and perfectly manicured lawns that proudly display local sculptures. The RPF carries out their everyday activities from this property, a beautiful new landmark in the capital.

The RPF HQ pays homage to Kigali’s modern era. The main building has traditional patterns and a magnificent domed roof, which reflect the region’s rich culture. Every building on the property is both completely safe and energy efficient, as per the client's requirements.

• Developer: Real Constructions
• Architects: Symbion International
• Facade Contractor: Pravosha Enterprises Ltd.
• Processor: FG Glass, India

The Need

Since the building serves as the headquarters for the RPF, we had to consider several factors. First and foremost, security was the utmost concern. We had to use only the best performing safety glass. The building has striking architectural features that perfectly complement the landscaping, sculptures and water features surrounding it. Executing the architect’s vision and maintaining the building’s sustainability while highlighting the importance of local materials like granite cladding and natural stone pavers was crucial.

The Challenge

Considering the building’s use as RPF headquarters, we had to keep the highest security concerns in mind. Additionally, since the property is in a city that enjoys 12 hours of sunlight per day, we had to use high performance glass to make the building energy efficient. We also had to overcome challenges to deliver our processed glass to Rwanda, a land locked country.

The key challenges were to:

• Process high performance security glass in high volumes
• Deliver the glass with minimal breakage to Rwanda
• Process the specialty glass and deliver it without impacting project timelines

The FG Glass Solution

After considering all the options, we decided to use Saint Gobain Cool Lite ST136 toughened glass for this project. The glass we selected has a bluish tint, filters light for visual comfort and is known for its solar performance. Since Rwanda enjoys a lot of sunlight, our choice of glass was perfect. To meet the client’s security needs, we decided to test the thinnest and lightest safety glass available. By selecting the lightest possible glass, we eased the shipping and installation process significantly.

The FG Glass Advantage

For FG, procuring and processing glass has never been an issue. Given our long standing partnership with Saint Gobain and our investment in state of the art equipment, we could process the specialty glass required for this project with ease. We created unique panels of 6 mm ST136 toughened glass with a 12 mm air gap and 6 mm clear toughened glass. With our years of experience, we could process thin bullet resistant glass. We managed to reduce the weight of each panel, which made the on site installation process quicker. Our efficiency allowed the team to complete the project before time. Transporting the glass was another hurdle we had to overcome. Since Rwanda is a land locked country, we had to ship the panels first and then move them via road. We ensured that we packaged the glass properly to ensure minimal breakage and minimize unnecessary delays.