Curtain walls are one of the most prominent features in modern buildings. They are placed on the surface of a building, forming a barrier between the interior and exterior of the building structure and acts as a protective shield. Its main purpose is to keep air and water out of the building and is subjected to weathering action like wind, sunshine, frost, etc.
The curtain wall has to be coordinated with the structural grid of the building whereby every micro aspect, such as vertical and horizontal divisions, size of panels, junction details, termination details at roof top and bottom level, etc. are well addressed. Curtain wall should not be an afterthought, it should be an integral part of the design.
The testing is one of many other ways to control the designs and implementation, and there are many other aspects to be considered as a holistic approach. If not properly planned, a poorly structured curtain wall can lead to water leakage and deformation of the lower parts of the curtain wall due to inadequate support along with inadequate waterproof and steam tight barriers. It can also cause disturbing, unpleasant sounds.
Most commonly experienced performance irregularities often result in complete replacement or expensive restoration/maintenance activities for the systems. Therefore, the performance tests are needed to be established at the design phase of each project separately.
Read article to know the characteristics of an ingenious and well-designed curtain wall, different types of curtain wall systems, the need for performance testing, challenges associated with erecting of curtain wall systems, reason for failures, common faults found in such façade systems and solution for the same.
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