Thank you for visiting my blog on the application of window walls and curtain walls in commercial settings.
Curtain walls are a wall cladding wall system that has grown tremendously over the past few years. They are made up of glass panels connected by aluminum joints and are hung off of the building from floor to floor to create an appealing wall system. They are also very structurally sound providing resistance to structural deflection and wind blown rain. They also prevent air and water leakage while providing UV protection .
Window walls have similar characteristics to curtain walls however they are installed much like a normal wall system, built to fit in between each floor.
My goal is to examine these wall systems carefully and decide which system will be ideal in a given situation.
Audrey Matlock Architects
17 comments:
I took the third year students on a tour of the Inland Glass manufacturing plant on Friday and I regret that I did not invite you along. They primarily manufacture a "unitized" curtain wall, which they claim to be much more efficient than the traditional "stick built" system. Their web site is: http://www.inlandglass.ca/ and you can call and talk to Frank if you have any specific questions. They are supposed to be sending me over a set of shop drawings and I also have an article in my office on unitized versus stick built curtain walls, so you can drop by sometime and I will give you a copy. Also, check the EDDT260 folder on the K: drive for my Powerpoint presentation on curtain walls and window walls.
I found a book for you that might be useful, it's called "Curtain Walls: Recent Developments" and can be found here:
http://www.amazon.com/Curtain-Walls-Recent-Developments-Associates/dp/3764370831/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205385954&sr=8-1
This one might also be useful:
http://www.amazon.com/Systems-High-Performance-Buildings-Stephen-Selkowitz/dp/0393731219/ref=pd_sim_b_title_5
Good luck!
john i have a book from the library that you should look at it is a government document on curtain and window walls. we should go to the library so it can exchange hands.
Johnny Boy,
I was checking out your topic, and found this pdf file. I think you will enjoy it as much as i enjoy that picture you have on your blog.
Hope it helps,
http://irc.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/pubs/bpn/37_e.pdf
John, found some sites that you might fancy.
This one is a report of the Greenstone Building in Yellowknife, using curtain walls
http://www.sustainablebuildings.gc.ca/default.asp?lang=En&n=E9A57CDA-1&offset=6&toc=show
This one is just Visonwall Corporation's website, they engineer and manufacture window and curtain walls.
http://www.visionwall.com/
I received a new book in the mail last week that is all about designing exterior walls and it has a chapter on curtain walls and also mentions window walls. It is really good, because it is written by a B.c. architect. I will try to remember to bring it to class.
Here johnny, i found a brief history lesson for you on curtain walls, and some ways they have made them better. I don't know if you can use it but here it is. http://www.jstor.org/view/08488525/ap050041/05a00080/0?frame=noframe&userID=ce7bb03f@tru.ca/01c0a848740050aa0b4&dpi=3&config=jstor
You might want to go to this website to check out the manufactures that are in Kamloops, so you can mabe call them and get more information for your research.
http://www.venturekamloops.com/manu/directory.htm
Be clear about where your image came from.
John,
I think you will find this site very useful. There is loads of information on this site! If you type in window walls in the search engine of the site or curtain walls it will give tons of articles! As well as graphics.
http://www.architectureweek.com/
Hi John,
The thesis question I thought might work well for you would be something like:
Do curtain walls provide enough benefit compared to window walls to outweigh their initial cost?
I spoke with Regan Loehr, president at IGA/AGS and he said you can email him at regan@inlandglass.ca. He would be happy to talk to you at any time.
Hey John,
Here are a few websites to check out.
Hope these help you out.
http://www.visionwall.com/
http://irc.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/pubs/bsi/82-3_e.html
http://people.cornell.edu/pages/jo24/writings/curtainwall.html
http://www.cdnarchitect.com/issues/ISArticle.asp?id=169739&story_id=112088155033&issue=11012005&PC=CA
Hi John
I found a book that is about all different types of wall cladding, including window and curtain walls. I'm sure it has plenty of information that you could use. It is called "Cladding of buildings: 3rd Edition" written by Alan Brookes. There is a description of the book on amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/Cladding-Buildings-3rd-Alan-Brookes/dp/0419221700. Hope this is helpful
Hey John,
I found this site that has a bunch of links to different types of curtain walls. You might want to look into comparing the different types of curtain walls and look at there advantages and disadvantages compared to one another.
I hope this helps :)
http://www.archiexpo.com/architecture-design-manufacturer/curtain-wall-1177.html
Heres some info on curtain walls
http://www.wbdg.org/design/env_fenestration_cw.php
Thanks for all of the sources and comments, I plan to use them to forward my progress. does anyone have any sources for making a proper cost-benefit analysis?
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