How to look at curtain wall widely used in the modern architecture design？

In the modern building construction, curtain wall system is a regarded the staple of architecture, appearing everywhere throughout the world. If you are looking to make a gorgeous architectural and eco-friendly facade for your building, then it is worth considering adding a curtain wall as a design feature.

Definition of Curtain Walls
Technically speaking, curtain wall is a frame with extensive glass panels that is installed on the outside of the building. It adds, style, space, lots of natural daylight and an element of beauty and modernity to a building. Besides, curtain walls are excellent for creating large glass surfaces without using the support of the main structure. They are installed after the main structure has been built, as a stand-alone feature. For example, glass curtain walls consist of expenses of pressure glazed or flush glazed glass inside an aluminium or stainless steel structures. The curtain wall and frame are created separately from the building and attached to the building’s main slabs at specific points, installed from the outside. Other materials can be used beside the glass, such as metal panels, or a thin layer of stone. The framing holds only the glass or other material used but does not carry the roof or floor loads of the building. Curtain walls can be installed in custom sizes or custom-made for a building, depending on the size expanse required.

Features of Curtain Walls
In practical applications, curtain wall facade systems generally consist of four structural elements – transom, mullions, vision glass and the anchor. They envelop buildings for ideal heat efficiency. Functionally, they have many good performances by being resistant to temperature expansion, seismic forces, water, air o rust. Furthermore, a curtain wall shields the exterior of the building while also protecting the interior. Vision glass is transparent glass that can be double or triple glazed and includes a reflective coating as well. Curtain walls give an effect that is both timeless and classic and modern and trendy at the same time. Because of the envelope a building, they control the solar grain, reducing the heat that comes through windows. This keeps the building cooler in summer season as well as insulating the interior in winter and reducing heating costs. In recent years, modern curtain wall design features hydrophobic coatings, which preserve the glass and help to reduce the maintenance cycle in applications, by creating an almost self-cleaning effect through the glass being coated.