Posted on May 27, 2010.
From the Middle Ages to Modern Times: Curtain walls serve multiple purposes Unless you're an architect or structural engineer, curtain wall "speech" may be an unknown for you. This is not an element of interior design. A curtain wall is a type of faasade often found on office and commercial buildings.
A curtain wall is not dead load of the building other than its own. In other words, a curtain wall does not have a roof or floor loads. Instead, it transfers loads to the main building structure through connections at the buildings different floors or columns. Essentially, it's like covering the facade of a building with a "curtain" of aluminum and glass.
While aluminum and glass are fairly modern materials, curtain walls are not a modern invention. They have done for centuries. The first of these structures were made of stone. They were most often built to surround and protect castles. These curtain walls were generally connected by a series of several rounds. The towers provided defensive strength, and have also been used as a lookout. The towers were the main structure of the walls. Some medieval curtain walls, or at least remnants of them still stand in European countries.
You will not find a lot of curtain walls in stone today. modern manufacturers construct them from aluminum and glass. Aluminum is a natural choice for contemporary curtain wall because of its excellent strength to weight ratio. He has both times, partly because it oxidizes naturally when exposed to air, creating a barrier of protection against the elements. Aluminum is less fragile than heavier metals such as steel, and is flexible enough to be molded and bent into unique configurations and customized.
Curtain walls are constructed by the structure of aluminum in a large part of grids. The spaces within are filled with glass. Although glass is the material used, this is not the only one. Metal panels, louvers and stone veneer can also be used. The structure is fixed to the main building at each floor and at the corners.
Glass and aluminum tend to be the material of choice for commercial buildings when it comes to curtain walls. Using glass is advantageous because it provides natural light. Buildings with these glass facades often save money on electricity because the need for interior lighting during the day is reduced significantly. In addition, the glass is aesthetic, creating a modern, outdoor look inside and outside the building.
Curtain walls are advantageous for other reasons too. They are resistant to air and water infiltration and therefore degrade more slowly than other types of construction materials. They also resist the forces of nature on the building, such as earthquakes strong winds.
In addition to the natural oxidation process that protects the aluminum curtain wall, another coating is usually added. The two main options for the coating include anodising and polyester powder sprayed electronically. Both methods improve the sealing of aluminum and can be color matched.
curtain walls have advanced as modern in style and materials of their ancestors medieval stone. structures of today can be customized to fit any size and style of the building. aluminum color can also be customized to MA.