Curtain wall is a wall which encloses a space within a building but does not support the structure in any way. It is the outer covering or skin of a building, in which the outer walls are non-structural but merely keep the weather out and occupants in. As the curtain wall is a non-structural cladding system for the external surfaces, it can be made of a lightweight material thus reducing construction cost. The most popular material used for this is glass which suffices not only creating an enclosure but lets the light in and therefore, creating large and uninterrupted areas with clear passage of light .
Other materials which can be used are Aluminium Composite Panels (ACP), metal panels or even thin stone, thus creating an attractive facade of a building whenever required. These materials, especially ACP and glass, are available in wide spectrum of colours and choices.The success of a curtain wall system depends on two important features that are the quality of gaskets, sealants and the quality of installation of the panels to the main frame. Therefore, curtain walls and the sealants require regular maintenance to maximize its life. A typical life of any curtain wall generally being 10-15 years. The most common framing system is anodized aluminium which has to be cleaned time to time to prevent corrosion of aluminium.Know moreEnglish architect and civil engineer, Peter Ellis built Oriel chambers (1864) and 16 Cook Street (1866) both in Liverpool, England. These two buildings are credited as the first curtain walls utilizing glass. Aluminium framed walled systems started developing rapidly after World War II, sometime during the 1930’s when the production and supply of aluminium became readily available. They became a cost-competitive and cost-effective alternative to other facade treatments. ACP was extensively used in the later part of the 20th century on wards, and soon became a staple of the modernist movement of which we all know so nostalgically : Bauhaus school , Hall idie building , Seagram’s building etc.
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