The JGJ102-96 Technical Specification for Glass Façade Engineering, Article 12.2.2 stipulates: "One check of the façade should be conducted one year after the completion of the glass curtain wall, with subsequent checks every five years; prestress checks should be carried out six months after the completion of the tensile membrane façade, followed by checks every three years; after ten years of use, structural sealant bonding performance sampling checks should be conducted at different parts of the curtain wall, with subsequent checks recommended every three years." The JGJ133-2001 Technical Specification for Metal and Stone Façade Engineering, Article 9.0.3 states: "During normal use, the using unit should conduct a check every five years. Inspections should be made on materials such as panels, sealing strips, sealing gaskets, and silicone structural sealant."
The Ministry of Construction Notice of Issuing the "Management Measures for Safety Maintenance of Existing Building Facades" (No. JianZhi 2006[291]) stipulates in Article 15: "When any of the following situations occur in the existing building facade, the person responsible for safety maintenance shall actively entrust a safety assessment: (1) Abnormal deformation, detachment, or explosion of panels, connecting components, or local walls; (2) Damage caused by natural disasters such as typhoons, earthquakes, lightning strikes, fires, or explosions, or sudden accidents; (3) Existing safety hazards detected or identified in the main structure of the relevant building. It is generally required to conduct a safety assessment every ten years after the facade project is handed over for use following the completion and acceptance inspection."
2015, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and the General Administration of Safety Supervision issued the "Notice on Further Strengthening the Safety Protection of Glass Façades" (No. Jianbiao [2015] 38), Article 3 stipulates: "(ii) Enhance maintenance and inspection of glass facades. One year after the completion of the acceptance inspection of glass facades, the construction unit shall inspect the safety of the facades. The safety maintenance person in charge shall conduct special inspections of existing glass facades in accordance with regulations. After natural disasters such as hail, typhoons, lightning strikes, earthquakes, or in the event of emergencies like fires or explosions, the safety maintenance person in charge or the technically qualified technical unit they委托 shall promptly inspect the glass facades of potentially damaged buildings and carry out timely repairs for any potential safety hazards. (iii) Timely assess the safety performance of glass facades. When glass facades reach the designed service life, the safety maintenance person in charge shall entrust a technically qualified unit to assess the safety performance of the glass facades. If renovations, reinforcement, or demolition are required, the responsible unit shall be entrusted to implement these measures. (iv) Strictly regulate maintenance and reinforcement activities of glass facades. Structural maintenance and reinforcement of glass facades must not alter the structural components arbitrarily; structural calculations and reinforcement plans must comply with national standards and specifications. For those exceeding technical standards, safety technical arguments should be conducted. After the completion of structural maintenance and reinforcement projects, the owner, the safety maintenance unit, or the unit responsible for daily maintenance management shall organize an acceptance inspection."
In accordance with the aforementioned regulations, after the completion and handover of a building facade project, facades that fall under any of the following conditions should undergo a safety performance assessment:
Lack of corresponding curtain wall specifications and standards during design and construction.
2. Not designed, constructed, or inspected in accordance with the corresponding regulations and standards.
3. Concerns regarding the safety of curtain wall due to incomplete technical data and warranty documents.
4. Panels, supporting structures, connecting components, or sections of a wall with abnormal deformation, displacement, detachment, cracking, or where an accident has occurred.
5. Damaged due to natural disasters such as typhoons, earthquakes, lightning strikes, fires, explosions, or other unforeseen accidents exceeding the designed load capacity.
6. Continued use beyond the designed service life or neglect due to age.
7. Structural integrity of the building has been inspected and deemed to have safety hazards.
8. Facades requiring major repairs or renovation.
9. After completion, acceptance, and use, safety inspections and appraisals are to be conducted on a principle basis every ten years.
