Modern residential or commercial skyscrapers often glamorise themselves through the owner’s taste. A glass façade is currently one of the most popular ways to raise a tall building’s style factor instantly. Glass façades are a favourite of architects because they provide sound and heat insulation and give modern buildings a contemporary yet open appearance.
Customised cladding, complex geometrical patterns, and eye-catching glass facade views ensure protection from erratic wind and seismic conditions as well. The fundamentals of a façade may be vaguely familiar to you as an architect. Here is a useful guide about the nuances of glass facades to further enlighten you.
Types of glass façade
Curtain façade
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Curtain walls are curtain-like, non-load-bearing structures fastened to the structure’s floor where the façade will be included. Such facades are only required to support their weight, not the dead weight that the building imposes. The curtain wall is connected to the columns and floors of the building to transfer the load of the wind from the façade. They offer resistance to water and wind infiltration and are incredibly functional and aesthetically pleasing. Such glass facades also serve as a thermal barrier and a resistance to seismic forces.
It can be modified to fit the building’s requirements and the client’s preferences for design. It can appear in a variety of captivating patterns and fashions.
Storefront façade
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Another non-load load-carrying façade type with a focus on the ground floor is this one. When built with specialised glasses, it provides the best thermal and sound insulation between the surface and the roof of the building above this one. It is a reasonable choice that can be tailored to the client’s needs.
Framing façade
Framing façade are interlocking sandwich panels with composite metal faces or concrete panels with insulation among the interior and exterior concrete elements. Industrial buildings with one story or less frequently use these. Typically, panels are made to fit standard frame spacings and span one direction (vertically or horizontally) without using intermediate supports.
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Stick systems
Vertical support mullions frame these kinds of glass facades. Typically, these extrusions are built elsewhere than where they will be installed. The glass panels are installed in the mullions after being transported to the construction site. Typically, horizontal frames support the vertical extrusions, creating a glass-framed structure on all sides.
Materials like aluminium alloys, steel, cement, or wood are typically used to create the mullions used in stick systems. Any of these components may be used based on stylistic preference. Due to their high cost, systematic silicone, toggle-locked, fastened, or pressure-capped stick structures are only used in mid-rise or low-rise structures.
Unitised systems
As the name implies, these glass facades are typically created in a factory before being transported to the installation location. It implies that unitised systems arrive at the building prepared for installation. In tall buildings, the continuous system can stretch several floors. Unitised-framed facades can also have windows and vents installed. The entire framing system can easily incorporate features like moisture and air resistance because it is built in a factory under controlled climatic conditions. The finished systems are usually delivered to the site using mobile road cranes, overhead cranes, or monorails.
Semi-unitised systems
Stick and unitised systems’ best features are combined to form semi-unitised systems. Such glass facades are enclosed in metal cassettes that are made from sticks. At the factory, the cassettes are filled with glass. Later, the personal cassettes are transported to the construction site, where they are assembled alongside other cassettes. Gaskets bond one metal case to another, allowing quick and secure assembly and installation. Structural silicone must be applied for these kinds of systems during the installation process.
Frameless façade
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Architectural glazing systems with frameless glazing are more prevalent today. Frameless glazing has much potential as a system for architectural glazing design. Frameless glazing is a great way to maximise the amount of natural light transmitted through a structure while minimising the impact on the internal and external aesthetics of the glass structures.
FAQs
Which glass type is ideal for a façade?
Careful consideration should be given to the type of glass used for a façade to increase a building's energy efficiency. Energy-efficient glass maximises light entry into the building while offering the best insulation.
Is the glass facade sustainable?
Glass has a low environmental impact in this regard, making it a popular product for eco-friendly structures.