Are you aware of the potential challenges for your curtain wall building

Unlike traditional office spaces with solid walls, structural glass curtain wall systems prefer glass which opens up offices to more collaboration and natural light. For the one thing, curtain wall can add cohesiveness and beauty to a building. Appearance varies depending on the type of curtain wall design used and the materials chosen by the architect. For the other thing, since faults and failures in the outer skin of a building could be a disaster waiting to happen in practical applications, curtain wall systems play an important role in architecture field not only to protect mid-rise and some high-rise buildings against the harshest elements, but also to improve vertical stability, especially in natural disaster zones.

In general, it is very necessary for people to maintain their curtain wall systems regularly in order to avoid spending a lot more in future, because decay is exponential, not linear. Considering that curtain wall’s long-term performance is regarded a function both of its components and its response to weather-element exposure, a combination of undersized or poorly installed materials or connections combined with wind cycling, temperature cycling, heat-freeze-thaw cycles coupled with water entry can all contribute to a degradation of materials or their joinery. In some cases, some curtain walls even have problems either with the design or installation of the waterproofing. Situations such as poor flashing details allow uncontrolled water infiltration. This can result in damage to walls such as sheet rock-fastener corrosion or loosening of mortar joints. Issues with freeze-thaw cycles could cause flaking of some stone panel types. In general, over time, if not maintained, parts of the curtain wall building could become loose and fall.

In short, general curtain wall problems can occur as a result of product failure, poor installation, design problems and etc. The challenge of building veneers is that architects want their buildings to look like no other building, so they often create all sorts of marriages of brick, stone and glass to make the aesthetic match their visualization. In that regard, you add curtain wall suppliers to that mix — who may be using materials that have not been tested over time in those situations — and installers who can take a perfectly good product and do a poor job of installing it. In addition, there will be another issue arising when specifications for the building’s design are not properly reviewed and enforced. When the wrong materials are used and budgets are tight, even heat and sun can cause problems. The architect may have done his job up front specifying certain product or performance criteria, but it can be sacrificed due to budget.