A curtain wall system is an outer covering of a building in which the outer walls are non-structural, but merely keep the weather out and the occupants in. As the curtain wall is non-structural it can be made of a lightweight material, reducing construction costs. When glass is used as the curtain wall, a great advantage is that natural light can penetrate deeper within the building. The curtain wall façade does not carry any dead load weight from the building other than its own dead load weight. The wall transfers horizontal wind loads that are incident upon it to the main building structure through connections at floors or columns of the building. A curtain wall is designed to resist air and water infiltration, sway induced by wind and seismic forces acting on the building, and its own dead load weight forces.
Curtain wall systems are typically designed with extruded aluminum members, although the first curtain walls were made of steel. The aluminium frame is typically infilled with glass, which provides an architecturally pleasing building, as well as benefits such as daylighting. However, parameters related to solar gain control such as thermal comfort and visual comfort are more difficult to control when using highly glazed curtain walls. Other common infills include: stone veneer, metal panels, louvres, and operable windows or vents
Ecoarc is an internationally working enterprise which develops and commercialises systems for the production of windows, curtain walls and doors
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Curtain wall system as a façade system totally covers the exterior part of buildings which is non-structural walls. This system reduces significantly the construction costs because of lightweight materials. Curtain wall system takes the advantage of light because of glass in its structures. This system has considerable resistance of air and water.
It is basically made of extruded aluminum and glass which provide an architecturally pleasing building. Not only this system provides considerable light but also solar heat gain in building can be used in many different ways which reduce the cost of living.
System and Principal:
The way of installation of curtain wall system is varied from one project to another one.
Stick System:
The stick system, which is well known among them, install sticks between floors vertically and between vertical members horizontally.
How does a unitized curtain wall system differ from a stick-built system?
The unitized Curtain Wall System is a pre-built system that is installed on-site during construction. The system generally consists of large panels that make up one floor and several meters in height.
These panels are installed as complete units, with pre-glazed, framed, and insulated. In contrast, a stick system is installed on-site during construction. First, aluminum profiles are installed, and then flashing and insulation work is done. This process can be time-consuming as each piece needs to be measured and cut to fit a specific area.
One of the main advantages of the unitized Curtain Wall System is that its installation is much faster than a system made up of components. Since the panels are pre-built, they can be installed in a few days instead of several weeks. It reduces construction time and costs, including creating minimal disruption to neighbors in the surrounding area.
Another advantage of the Curtain Wall System is its accuracy and durability compared to a system made up of components. Since the panel is produced in a controlled environment, it can be made for a longer period of time.
However, there are some disadvantages to the unit system. For example, large panels can make transportation and installation difficult. As a result, it may not be very flexible in terms of design options. In general, the choice between a unitized wall system and a stick curtain wall system depends on the available budget and project features. And the preferences of building owners and design teams.
Rain Screen Project
A common way to prevent water penetration into building is rain screen principal because of equilibrium of air pressure between the outside and inside of the “rain screen”.
Curtain wall system handles wind load imposed on it as well as keep air and water from penetrating the buildings. Ecoarc Company with an expert team provides all of these services to client’s base on their projects specifications. This system is mainly used in the large projects all over the world.
Unitized System:
In this system, Panels are fabricated and assembled in factory. Then these units installed completely on site. This system provide fast and economic benefits for large projects.
Unitized system as a common way of curtain wall installation and fabrication widely used by more building owners, architect and contractors all over the world. In unitized system, 30% of work is done on construction site, while 70% of work is done in the manufacturing workshop which assembly units. Many large projects enjoy the considerable benefits of this system while the shipping of unitized units is difficult.
Improved quality of prefabrication technique is one of outstanding advantage of this system. Also, this system highly recommended for projects which are required to install rapidly. Quicker erection and requiring less manpower on site are the main characteristic that speed the progress of projects and bring the cost down. In unitized system, the noises do not transfer from room to room or floor to floor because of attached gasket that separate panels.
This system is comprised of large glass that makes transparent view. Its’ tolerance of fabrication in different environments should be highly considered by experts.
Ecoarc Company offers unitized system to mid to high rise buildings with large areas of curtain wall. For buildings using curtain wall systems as design elements, it is important to consult with an experienced manufacturerearly in the process to determine the type of installation. This company teamed with a reputable, local glazing subcontractor, manufacturers which can provide design input, budget pricing, sequencing, and schedule information.
Unitized system allows the façade enclosure be done with high speed that leads to the clients satisfaction. The fabrication of this system is so consistent than other ways of installation like stick system. This system is more complicated so it requires highly to fabricate and install by an expert company in this field. Ecoarc Company as a professional company in façade construction can meet the requirements of this type of installation.
One important factor that we should take into consideration is not only the type of system we require to apply for each project but also its limitation. Understanding the limitations and problems of Unitized Curtain Wall System help us to offer best solution to potential clients. We are here to evaluate the pros and cons of this system based on project requirements and customer willing.
Challenges:
Two kind of alignment is possible for Unitized curtain wall system. The first one is alignment between unitized panels and other one is between panels and slabs.
Ecoarc company as a curtain wall manufacturers have reliably consider the issue of panel-to-panel alignment by expanding structural alignment clips that can be slid across the interlocking heads of adjoining panels to maintain horizontal alignment. (Figure 1) and by refining the designs of their lifting lugs that help to hold the vertical alignment between panels at their stack conditions. (Figure 2)
These challenges which is related to alignment specify to unique project features which deal with project by project basis. One of the main problem in this field is fitting unitized curtain wall in the space allotted for them. This system should have tighter-tolerance than steel and concrete construction.
The deflection of floor slab between support conditions always make challenge for contractors in mainly unitized Curtain Wall system. The deflection of floor slab between support conditions make challenge for contractors.
A unitized frame will not fit beneath a floor slab or between two balconies. An expert requires to diagnose these conflicts and difficulties. Ecoarc Company tend to offers solution before a problem happens rather than react to a problem after it occurs.
The effective way to deal with different structural problems is to incorporate a leave out panel above the unitized wall as it is shown in the following figure.
Ecoarc Company use end dams whenever the curtain wall finish against another wall system. If a building design only insert curtain wall, then end dams will not be required.
Another challenging issue is thermal bridging at the stack head which Ecoarc Company chose ones that incorporate thermal breaks that cause the frame to be cooled through the depth of stack section so that the load path be routed through the frame around the thermal break and not through the thermal break only. Since thermal breaks are most effective when they align with the insulating glass units, they would typically be positioned within the horizontal legs of the frame outboard of the stacking head. One method for including a thermal break in the stack design is to incorporate structural seals in the frame design. So clients can insult with Ecoarc Company if they would like to choose Unitized Curtain wall for their projects.
The performance of Unitized glass face descriptions
- The unit plates are all assembled in the factory workshop.
- The installation speed is fast, the construction period is short, and it is easy to protect the finished product.
3. It can be constructed synchronously with the main structure of civil works, which is beneficial to shorten the overall construction period.
4. The structure adopts the principle of step-by-step decompression, and the drainage system is built in, which has good performance against rainwater leakage and air penetration resistance.
5. The joints of the plates are all sealed with special anti-aging rubber strips, which makes the curtain wall have self-cleaning function and the surface is less polluted.
6. The plates are connected by plug-in connection, which has strong seismic resistance.
Although the cost of fabrication is high, the cost of maintain of this system is lower than other systems.
Ecoarc Company as a famous façade construction company based in Iran has done several Unitized projects so that gain value and experience in Unitized curtain wall façade system. According to the project specification, Ecoarc can offer high quality services to satisfy clients.
A wide range of services will be available to deliver the best solution to any challenge as the following:
Material Research:
Investigation and finding sources
Design Services:
Facade Design, Engineering & Analysis design Phases
Condensation resistance and Thermal Performance Analysis
Roofing and Waterproofing Design
Budget and Estimate Review for Facade Construction
-Procurement Services:
Bid Review and reviewing Negotiations
Design Assist Process & Design Build Services
Value Engineering
Construction Services:
Construction Administration, Shop Drawings and Review of submittal
Visual Mock-up and Performance Mock-up
Quality Assurance Shop Monitoring & Site Inspections
Special Inspections
Due Diligence Review and Assessment of Building Envelope Systems
Forensic Evaluation, Remedial Investigation and Analysis
Leak Investigation
Design solutions should meet specific project objectives and architectural intents .Facade engineering make it possible to achieve reliable goals with regards to each project requirements. We’re here to help you meet them.