BIPV -The Co-operative Insurance Services Tower is a twenty-eight storey office building situated in Manchester city centre. The tower was constructed in 1962 as the headquarters of Co-operative Insurance Services. Over time, the glass mosaic tiles covering the concrete services tower had deteriorated and were breaking away. In 2004, the mosaic tiles were over-clad with a rainscreen system, incorporating polycrystalline silicon Solar PV panels. In 2005 the Solar PV system began feeding electricity into the National Grid. This project was the largest commercial rainscreen Solar PV Facade in Europe and one of the largest Solar Photovoltaic systems in the UK

BIPV - Building Integrated Photovoltaics are photovoltaic materials that are used to replace conventional building materials in parts of the building envelope and at the same time provide an ancillary source of electrical power

BIPV - The CIS Tower project demonstrates that new facades can be installed on existing buildings, giving them a completely new appearance. The Solar PV panels can be integrated into a new rainscreen cladding system which will add to the appeal of the building, prolong its useful life and increase its re-sale value

Top of Page