Aluminium Curtain Walling

At S&T Glazing, we specialise in all sorts of external glazing and can provide aluminium curtain walling systems for skyscraper, office blocks and other buildings in West Yorkshire including Huddersfield, Halifax and Bradford.

What Are Curtain Walling Systems?

Curtain walling has become a popular structural feature in the last few years because of its strength and thermal properties.

Double glazed aluminium curtain walling offers design flexibility, as it can be complimented by many other products, including windows, doors, rain screen panels, louvers and sun shading.

The profiles are based around 75mm, 100mm and 125mm mullion and transom designs, plus a 50mm box transom.

The choice of profile sizes and frame design is determined by the expected exposure to local wind pressures.

By calculating the wind load factors, dimensions of curtain wall sections can be chosen to satisfy most load conditions.

A curtain wall is designed to make prestigious buildings in big cities where population or work space could be considered dense. They are usually made from aluminium and containing fill-ins of glass, metal or thin stone.

The aluminium frame is then fixed to the sides of the structure giving the building the feel that is made from glass although the aluminium frame does not carry the load of the building and is only attached to the frame of the building.

System Types

The most reliable types of system available for a curtain walling are pressure-equalised rain screen systems. These provide excellent protection from air and water infiltration although other types of systems will offer a similar solution with slightly more maintenance involved over prolonged periods of time. These include:

• Face Sealed
• Water Managed
• Pressure-equalised rain screen

Pressure-equalised rain screen systems function by blocking the elements which can result in moisture or air travelling into the building. The rain screen systems stops this happening and prevents damage or corrosion happening to the building infrastructure.

Water managed systems operate in an almost identical way to a pressure-equalised rain screen but, upon closer inspection, water managed systems have incorporated drains into the design of the curtain walling. The differences can also be seen with an air barrier or “zone-glaze”, which can lead to water leaks as water is forced up the drainage systems rather than down which is caused by the pressure differences from the exterior and interior of the glass.

Face-sealed systems are designed to create a continuous and perfect seal between the curtain wall and the building they’re being fitted to, although the long-term reliability of a face sealed system is questionable and should be avoided due to the reliability of the seal itself.

Curtain Walling System in West Yorkshire

S&T Glazing can provide curtain walling systems in West Yorkshire, including Keighley, Leeds and Wakefield.

Curtain walling systems are outer coverings for buildings in which the outer walls are non-structural. Therefore they can be manufactured from lightweight materials, like aluminium, thus reducing construction costs.

Curtain walling systems are typically designed with extruded aluminium members. The aluminium frame is typically in-filled with glass, which allows in large amounts of natural light creating a feeling of space and providing the perfect interface with the outside world whilst maintaining the safety, security and comfort levels of the building’s internal environment for the benefit of its occupants.

Curtain walls differ from store front systems in that they are designed to span multiple floors, and take into consideration design requirements such as thermal expansion and contraction, building sway and movement, water diversion, and thermal efficiency for cost-effective heating, cooling and lighting in the building.