What are the advantages of curtain wall systems?

In modern first- and second-tier cities, curtain wall systems play a very important role in the exterior walls. There is always a moment that attracts your attention. The curtain wall system not only makes the appearance of the building more charming and fashionable, but also has many advantages. So what are the advantages of the curtain wall system? Zhongdong Curtain Wall will lead you to have a look!

1. What is the curtain wall system?

The curtain wall system is mainly composed of panels (glass, metal plates, stone, etc.) and support frames, which are fixed to the main body of the building through connectors.

Unlike traditional brick walls or concrete walls, the curtain wall system is a complete and independent building exterior enclosure system with its own structural system and functional characteristics. Modern curtain walls include unit curtain walls, frame curtain walls, point-supported curtain walls, etc., which can meet the needs of different buildings.

2. Advantages of curtain wall systems

1. Beautiful and elegant, improving the appearance of buildings

The most intuitive advantage of the curtain wall system is its outstanding aesthetic effect. It allows architects to realize various creative designs and create impressive landmark buildings.

Strong sense of modernity: Large-area glass curtain walls create a transparent and bright visual effect, and the combination of metal and glass makes the building full of futuristic and technological sense.

Flexible modeling: Curtain walls can be made into various shapes such as planes, curved surfaces, and broken lines to meet the needs of different architectural models.

Rich colors: By selecting glass, metal plates or stones of different colors and textures, a colorful building appearance can be created.

Light and shadow effects: Glass curtain walls can reflect the sky and the surrounding environment, and present different visual effects as time and weather change.

2. Light weight, reducing the burden on buildings

The second significant advantage of the curtain wall system is its light weight and relatively low requirements for the main structure of the building.

– The weight of the traditional brick-concrete structure exterior wall may reach 500-1000 kg per square meter, while the glass curtain wall is usually 50-100 kg/square meter, and the aluminum curtain wall is about 20-50 kg/square meter. This greatly reduces the load on the building foundation, which is particularly suitable for high-rise and super-high-rise buildings.

The lightweight feature also allows curtain walls to be applied to large-span spaces and cantilever structures, achieving architectural forms that are difficult to achieve with traditional walls. For example, large public buildings such as airport terminals and stadiums widely use curtain wall systems.

3. Fast curtain wall construction and shortened project cycle
The third advantage of the curtain wall system is its high construction efficiency, which can significantly shorten the construction period.

Factory prefabrication: Most curtain wall components are prefabricated in the factory, including frame cutting, panel assembly, etc., and only hoisting and fixing are required on site. This is much faster than traditional masonry or cast-in-place concrete construction.

Parallel operation: Curtain wall installation can be carried out simultaneously with the internal construction of the building without interfering with each other. Traditional exterior wall construction often needs to wait for the main structure to be completed before it can begin.

Not affected by weather: Prefabricated curtain wall units can still be installed on rainy days, while brick wall masonry and concrete pouring are greatly affected by weather.

Convenient installation: Modern unitized curtain walls are installed in a “plug-in” manner. A standard layer (about 3-4 meters high) of curtain wall can usually be completed in 1-2 days, which is much faster than traditional construction methods.

According to statistics, the construction time of the external protective structure of high-rise buildings using curtain wall systems can be shortened by 30%-50% compared with traditional methods. This means that commercial projects can be put into use earlier and create economic benefits.

4. Superior performance and improved building quality

The curtain wall system also has many advantages in terms of building physical performance, which can significantly improve the quality of building use.

(1) Good waterproof sealing

Modern curtain walls adopt a multi-channel sealing design, including rubber sealing strips, weather-resistant sealants, etc., and their waterproof performance is far superior to traditional brick walls. Especially for high-rise buildings, it can effectively prevent rainwater from penetrating.

The isobaric cavity design principle of the curtain wall balances the internal and external pressures, further preventing rainwater from penetrating. Even in strong winds and rainstorms, it can maintain good waterproof performance.

(2) Adjustable thermal insulation performance

By selecting different glass types (such as Low-E glass, hollow glass, vacuum glass) and thermal insulation materials, the thermal insulation performance of the curtain wall can be flexibly controlled.

The emergence of double-layer or even triple-layer glass curtain walls has made the thermal insulation performance of buildings reach or even exceed that of traditional solid walls.

(3) Excellent sound insulation effect

Insulating glass, laminated glass, etc. can effectively block external noise, and are particularly suitable for buildings around airports and along urban main roads.

Professionally designed curtain wall systems can reduce outdoor noise by 40-50 decibels, creating a quiet indoor environment. Many high-rise residential buildings facing the streets in Hong Kong use curtain wall systems to solve the noise problem.

(4) Good earthquake resistance

The curtain wall is fixed to the main structure through flexible connectors, which can adapt to the slight deformation of the building during an earthquake and is not easily damaged.

4. Easy maintenance and long service life

The curtain wall system also has obvious advantages in later maintenance:

Easy to clean: The large flat surface is easy for professional cleaning equipment to operate. Many high-rise curtain walls are equipped with window cleaning machine tracks, which are easier to clean and maintain than traditional exterior walls.

Easy to repair: The curtain wall adopts a unit design. Local damage only requires replacing the corresponding unit without affecting the overall structure. Traditional wall repairs often require large-scale processing.

Strong durability: high-quality curtain wall materials such as fluorocarbon sprayed aluminum plates, tempered glass, etc. have excellent weather resistance and a service life of more than 25-30 years.

3. Other advantages of curtain wall systems

1. High space utilization

The thickness of the curtain wall is usually only 20-30 cm, while traditional brick walls may require 40-50 cm. For urban buildings where every inch of land is valuable, this means that the usable area can be increased by about 2%-5%, with significant economic benefits.

2. Economic efficiency is gradually improving

Although the initial investment of high-quality curtain walls is high, the full life cycle cost is often more advantageous when considering the construction speed, space utilization, energy saving effect and long-term maintenance cost. With technological progress and large-scale application, the economic efficiency of curtain wall systems is still improving.

4. Applicability of curtain wall systems

The advantages of curtain wall systems make them particularly suitable for the following types of buildings:

1. High-rise and super-high-rise buildings: The characteristics of reducing self-weight, wind and earthquake resistance, and fast construction perfectly match the needs of high-rise buildings.
2. Large public buildings: buildings that require large space and unique image, such as airports, stations, and exhibition centers.
3. Commercial buildings: commercial projects that focus on image and lighting, such as office buildings and shopping malls.
4. Modern residences: high-end apartments and hotels, pursuing quality and broad vision.
5. Renovation projects: updating the facades of old buildings, without changing the main structure, can be renewed.

The curtain wall system combines aesthetics, functionality, and economy, and has become the mainstream choice for the development of urban buildings. From beautiful glass curtain walls to heavy stone curtain walls to aluminum veneer curtain walls with varied shapes, the curtain wall system is constantly breaking through and innovating, providing architects with more design possibilities and creating a more comfortable building environment for urban residents.