A Variety of Façade Technologies Applied to Curtain Walls

When it comes to curtain walls, it's inevitable to mention the past architecture, where thick exterior walls made it difficult for designers to decide on the arrangement and size of windows. With the advancement of science and technology driven by the Industrial Revolution and the rapid pace of urbanization, coupled with a reduction in building land, countries in Europe and America began to develop new types of architecture, which we now know as curtain wall buildings. The benefit of this kind of architecture is that it encloses the building structure with glass, marble, metal panels, etc. These materials have been in use in Europe and America for over 100 years due to the lightweight nature of the exterior decorative curtain walls and the fact that their movement does not affect the building structure. As a result, glass curtain walls have been continuously applied and new technologies have been developed.

After nearly a century of development, materials have become increasingly mature, and craftsmanship has honed to a fine art, with the disadvantages of curtain walls diminishing. So, how many structural types do our glass curtain walls consist of? 1. Component (frame) curtain wall; 2. Unitized curtain wall; 3. Point-supported curtain wall, and more.

Firstly, the most commonly used method from the beginning to now is the former one. Modular curtain walls involve prefabricated components that are processed in the workshop and then transported to the construction site. These components are individually installed onto the building structure according to the construction process, and finally, the curtain wall is completed. Secondly, unitized curtain walls, which are more industrialized, allow for a single unit to be directly fixed to the main structure. Thirdly, point-supported curtain walls, where the curtain wall is composed of point-supported devices and supporting structures. This structure is more expensive but offers better aesthetics and a more open feel.

 Therefore, today, from curtain wall glass to structural adhesives, countries in Europe and the United States have already conducted excellent research and development. Structural adhesives can be used for 25 years, while curtain wall glass has a lifespan of 50 years and does not explode spontaneously. Although the construction of large-scale glass curtain wall buildings in our country has only been引进 from the West for a mere 30 years, and traditional curtain walls were in use before 2003, the Ministry of Construction began to pay attention to the materials used in curtain wall buildings and the quality of construction workers. At the same time, there are also more stringent requirements for the qualifications of enterprises.