Today in Ho Chi Minh City we visited BM Windows, a company that specializes in the design, manufacturing, and design of windows and other curtain wall elements. In the design phase, they used structural analysis software, thermal analysis software, insulation prediction software, and Building Information Modeling. BM Windows main goal is to provide high quality façade solutions and find comprehensive solutions for the building envelope. BM windows has 150 supply partners and over 100 product variants. Their work exists in multiple markets including residential, hospitality, industrial, and more. As of now they have around 500 completed projects.
The BM Windows office is in the Newtecons tower in HCMC. The corporate office has a great working environment. In 2022 and 2023, Anphabe ranked Newtecons in the top 5 places to work in construction/architecture. The office had multiple meeting rooms as well as areas for employees to hang out and relax. Throughout the corporate office, we were able to interact with different departments including engineering, R&D, HR, accounting, and the project director. The typical duration of a contract can vary depending on the size of the project. In general, design takes about 1-3 months, mock-up takes 1 month, procurement takes 2-3 months, and installation takes about 4-6 months.
The first project we visited was the Sun Tower. The Sun Tower is a high rise building with 55 floors plus 5 podium floors and 5 basement floors. The scope of work for the façade contractor consists of completing the unitized curtain wall, the sunshade system, stick built curtain wall, installing strip windows, a glass canopy, louvers and building maintenance units. The equipment and installation methods vary depending on the type of panel being installed. However, the crews are trained to install all 4 types. There are 4 different types of curtain wall panels on this project. For example, the sunshade panels are a different design from the unitized panels and are from levels 36-44. This project consists of 4,772 unitized curtain wall panels. The workers install about 55 panels a day, which is about half of a floor. The budget for the façade elements is about $20 million USD. The work for the façade contractor began four months ago and is expected to be completed in September of 2024.
The second site we visited was called The Opera Residence. This building consists of 20 floors plus 5 podium floors and 3 basement floors. The scope of work for the façade contractor consists of a unitized curtain wall system, aluminum louvers, exterior cladding, sliding doors and an additional stick built curtain wall system. This project also consists of four different types of curtain wall panels. These include the offset panel, combination panel, terrace panels, and the double height panels. These panels are all manufactured to comply with the specifications needed. It is important to note that before all these panels are produced, the architect and consultant review a visual mockup of these panels and approve them. The building consists of 3500 panels, where about 40 are installed every day. The façade of this building is nearly complete and will be turned over soon. About 20 staff from BM Windows worked on this project. Another interesting fact is that they were recently awarded their largest contract yet for a project in Toronto, although they will only be producing and exporting the curtain wall elements, not installing them.
Blog written by Alfredo Guzman