A curtain-wall system is a thin, aluminum-framed wall that is filled with glass or opaque panels. It sits outside the slab edge, transferring all load forces through connections to the building structure and resisting wind loads that envelop it.
Curtain walls are generally designed to withstand the full range of loads and pressures imposed on them, including air and water infiltration and sway induced by wind forces and seismic loads. They must also be engineered to resist maintenance loads.
Depending on their location, buildings are exposed to different design wind loads. For large projects in hurricane-prone areas, a wind tunnel study is often performed to determine the limiting wind load. The design wind loads are typically based on the results of the wind tunnel study and adjusted by the architect based on the design intent of the building.
Exploring the Versatility and Functionality of Curtain-Wall Systems
A curtain-wall system must also be designed to uphold its own dead and live load forces, including the weight of its glass and extrusions. It must also be designed to resist air and water infiltration, maintain a constant temperature between its inner and outer gaskets (rain-screen principle), and resist movement caused by perpetual thermal changes.
Stick or conventional systems are typically fabricated and installed piece by piece on site. Unitized or modular systems involve the arrangement and glazing of significant components into unitized units in the factory, then shipping them to the site for erection. The advantage of this system is a faster mode of construction at lower labor cost. However, it requires exterior support like cranes and scaffolding to reach higher elevations to install these units.
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