Curtain Wall is a form of a vertical building enclosure which supports no load other than its own weight and the environmental forces which act upon it.

Types of Curtain Wall
     * Conventional Stick System (Capped System)
     * Structural silicone glazing ( SSG)
         # Semi unitized system
         # Unitised System

In this system the vertical mullions and horizontal transoms are installed on MS/SS/Aluminium brackets which are anchored to the columns/slabs.

Cut to size glass is fixed on the grid work with pressure plates.(The glass is held Mechanically)

Cover cap is snap fit on the pressure plates for aesthetic look.

In the above system 90% of the work can be done at site.

Notes: This system is the cheapest system wherein you will see aluminium members from outside. In this system the glass is held mechanically to the main frame. For the installation of this system you need to have scaffolding from outside for installation.

In this system the vertical mullions and horizontal transoms are installed on MS/SS/Aluminium brackets which are anchored to the columns/slabs.

Cut to size glass is structurally glazed to the Aluminium sub frame by structural sealant.

The sub frame with the glass is installed on the Grid work.

In the above system 50% of the work is done at site.

Notes: In this system there will not be any aluminium member visible from outside. You will see a groove running horizontally & vertically. In this system the glass is held with the help of structural sealant. The application of structural sealant is the critical operation as this is the sealant which holds the glass to the frame for life. For the installation of this system you need to have scaffolding from outside for installation.

In this system MS/SS/Aluminium brackets are anchored to the columns/slabs after detailed site survey.

The complete unit spanning floor height fully fabricated at the factory is installed on the brackets.

In the above system 10% of the work is done at site.

Notes: In this system there will not be any aluminium member visible from outside. You will see a groove running horizontally & vertically. In this system the glass is held with the help of structural sealant. The application of structural sealant is the critical operation as this is the sealant which holds the glass to the frame for life.

This system is most suitable for high rise buildings with huge quantity of glazing. In this system you do not need scaffolding for installation & the installation of the panels are done using a cradle/ hoist/ crane.

Height of the building

Distance between slabs

Location of the building

Span of each panel

Curtain wall system

Glass

Location & Height of the building

Finish on the alumiium profiles

Accessories

System Design – pressure equalized system

Barrier against water & air leakages – 3 barrier – Minimum

Thermally efficient system for better performance of the building, as no heat will be transmitted inside by the aluminum

All elevations

Sectional drawings

Floor plans

Perspective of building/ 3D views/ Model photograph

Details of junction

* Clear Glass

* Tinted Glass

* Reflective glass

Reflective glasses are the most widely used glass for structural glazing and curtain walling for reasons such as better light transmission, reduced heat transfer etc.

Types of reflective glass

* Hard coated glass or pyrolytic coated glass

* Soft coated glass or vaccum sputtered coated glass

Hard coated glass:

* Better photometric properties than the tinted glass and are low-performance glass.

* Imported in sheet sizes and various processes like tempering / DGU can be done locally.

* This is cheaper glass as the processes can be done locally saving customs duty

* This glass can be used as single glass in vision as well as spandrel glass.

Soft coated glass:

Medium performance glass

* Superior glass than the hard coated glass in terms of photometric properties.

* Heat strengthening will have to be done at the source of supply (abroad) and DGU can be made locally.

* This glass can be used as single glass in vision as well as spandrel glass.

Note: these glasses are costlier than the hard coated glass, but the initial investments can be recovered by lower AC loads & lower operating costs.

High Performance glass:

* Most superior type of glass in terms of photometric properties.

* Can never be used as single glass and the whole unit with DGU has to be imported from abroad.

Note: these glasses are costlier than the hard coated glass, but the initial investments can be recovered by lower AC loads & lower operating costs.

Heat strengthening

* To increase capacity to withstand thermal stress and structural load on the glass.

* The strength increases by 2 times to the normal annealed glass.

* This is not a safety Glass.

Tempering or Toughening

* To increase capacity to withstand thermal stress and structural load on the glass.

The Structural strength of the glass increases by 4 times to the normal annealed glass.

This is a safety glass, in case of breakage the glass will fall down in the form of small pieces.

Note: Heat strengthening & tempering imparts distortion in the glass, hence in case of Structural glazing using reflective glass always heat strengthened glass is used as the distortion as less compared to Tempered glass

Heat strengthening or tempering should done horizontally so that the distortions are horizontal to your eyes & hence the person from inside does not see a distorted images

Laminating Glass

* In this process two glasses are sandwiched with the help of a PVB film.

* This is a safety glass, in case of breakage the glass will remain intact and will not fall down.

* Gives better sound insulation.

* Also used for anti-burglary applications.

Insulating glass unit/Double Glass unit

This is otherwise called double glazing unit. In this process two single layers of glass are joint with the help of silicone sealant and an aluminium spacer in between them. This is used for better acoustic and energy saving properties.

Anodising

Powder coatings

PVDF (Polyvinylidene Fluoride)

PVDF stands for "Polyvinylidene Fluoride" coating (also referred as PVF2 coatings)

A Long lasting and a high performance Fluropolymer liquid coating, factory applied on architectural aluminium metal substrates.

Is based on a minimum of 70% Kynar 500 or Hylar 5000 resin.

Contains inert Ceramic Pigmentation.

Is a Thermoplastic, 2-coat or a 3-coat electrostatic spray application system.

Offers a wide range of Solid colours, Pearlescent & Metallic colours

The only Architectural coating complying to the superior AAMA 2605 specification

Chemistry is based on Carbon - Fluorine Bond, the strongest in the Universe.

Outstanding durability i.e. excellent resistance to Fading and Chalking (because of inert ceramic pigmentation and the resin does not absorb the damaging Ultraviolet radiation)

Outstanding resistance to harsh environmental pollutants

Excellent resistance to acids, alkalis and salts

Low maintenance due to low dirt pick up and non staining surface

Low mildew and bacterial staining

Very good abrasion and impact resistance, with very low erosion

Excellent corrosion resistance

The only coating fully tested in South Florida for a 10 year period & exhibiting outstanding weathering performance, which meets or exceeds AAMA 2605 requirements

Warranty of 15 years

Service Life in excess of 50 years

Provides a wide colour range in solid & metallic colours, versus the limited range available in Anodizing, Custom colours can also be matched.

Superior colour uniformity versus colour inconsistency in Anodizing

Excellent resistance to Mortar and Salt corrosion, which attack Anodizing

Chemically inert

Outstanding resistance to chalking, fading & ultraviolet degradation

Low dirt pick up and non staining surface

Very low maintenance

Scratches can easily be repaired with Air-Dry PVDF paint with no colour difference whereas any scratches on Anodizing can not be repaired.

Excellent resistance to pitting, Pilliform corrosion and tarnishing, which is a common problem with Anodizing after some years depending on location.

Meets all the stringent requirements of AAMA 2605 specifications.

Offers a service life in excess of 50 years, versus a service life of 20 to 25 years of Anodizing.

Glass façade testing is a process wherein the façade is tested for its designed performance for Structural stability & leakage’s against air & water infiltration.

To identify & rectify:

* Improper design

* Improper fabrication

* Improper installation

Assurances of performance of the glass façade as per design requirement

Peace of mind on the functionality of the system

Saving in time & money as few rectification on site after installation

Leak proof building

Increased life of the building

These tests are a must & should be performed on every project as no two projects are similar & this helps the Project Manager to act proactively, thus save Valuable material in the form of modification, Valuable time & Valuable Money.