Structural Prefabricated Modular Panel Glass Curtain Wall Facade Rainscreen Systems
Quick Detail:
1. Designed for easy and fast fabrication – 90 degree cuts and minimal notching
2. Assemble and dry glaze in the shop
3. Less time at the job-site with quick and efficient installation
After years’ development, our group has evolved into an integral turn-key contractor for various buildings and construction. So we have capacity in various huge projects design & build based on satisfactory budget control. Welcome clients to make enquiries directly on whatever kind of building engineering or building surrounding materials pricing. Our professional engineering teaam are all ready here to offer customized design and price. Our pricinple is One Trial Order Bring Constent Cooperation!
Curtain walls can be classified as per fabrication and installation way into the following general categories: stick systems and unitized (also known as modular) systems. In the stick system, the curtain wall frame (mullions) and glass or opaque panels are installed and connected together piece by piece. In the unitized system, the curtain wall is composed of large units that are assembled and glazed in the factory, shipped to the site and erected on the building. Vertical and horizontal mullions of the modules mate together with the adjoining modules. Modules are generally constructed one story tall and one module wide but may incorporate multiple modules. Typical units are five to six feet wide.
Curtain walls can also be classified as water managed or pressure-equalized systems.
Unitized glass curtain wall systems facade are composed of large glass units that are created and glazed within a factory and then sent to the construction site. Once arriving on site, the units can then be hoisted onto anchors connected to the building whatever concrete or steel buildings. High quality, due to tight tolerances of fabrication in a climate-controlled environment, is only one hallmark of this type of system. Because there is no on-site glazing, another major benefit of using a unitized system is the quicker speed of installation. The system can be installed in a third of the time of a stick-built system. This system is well suited for cases where there is a large volume of prefabricated unitized panels required, where there are higher field labor costs (thereby shifting the labor to a more cost-effective factory work force), where higher performance is needed (for wind loads, air/moisture protection, seismic/blast performance), for taller structures, and more regular conditions for panel optimization.
Application
| HOW TO CHOOSE FROM STICK and UNITIZED CURTAINWALL SYSTEMS | ||
| Selection Criteria | Stick Curtainwall | Unitized Curtainwall |
| Project Size | Small | Large |
| Wall Configuration |
Complex (Many changes in plane, e.g. soffits, corners, etc.) |
Repetitive (Large expanses of flat wall) |
| Joint Pattern | Random | Uniform horizontal sill line |
| Glazing | Field | Factory |
| Inter-story Movements | Very limited | Inter-locking frames accommodate movements |
| Quality Control |
Subject to site variables (Both environment and equipment) |
Controlled factory conditions |
| Modification | Can be cut-to-fit in the field | Pre-engineered |
| Sealing | Subject to site variables | Minimal field sealing |
| Field Labor Cost |
High (Many parts to track and assemble) |
Low |
| Field Labor Duration | Slow |
Fast (Often setting 75 sqft or more per unit) |
| Access and Safety | Exterior access required |
Set from the interior (Exterior optional) |
Face-sealed, water-managed and pressure-equalized rainscreen systems are the three systems that are available. Normally, pressure-equalized rain screen systems provide the highest levels of resistance to air and water infiltration, with water-managed systems the next most reliable.
Pressure-equalized rain screen systems function by blocking all of the forces that can drive water across a barrier. See the article on Moisture Protection for a complete explanation of how pressure-equalization resists water passage. As related to curtain wall systems, PE rain screen systems design the inside face of glass and the inside face of the glazing pocket and the interconnecting gasket or wet seal as an airtight barrier. The outside face of glass, exterior glazing materials and the outer exposed face of aluminum framing function as a rain screen, shedding water away. Between the exterior rain screen and the interior air barrier a pressure-equalization chamber is formed in the glazing pocket, which serves to reduce water penetration by eliminating (equalizing) the pressure difference across the rain screen that tends to force water into the system. Minor amounts of water that may penetrate the system are weeped harmlessly to the exterior.
Water-managed systems appear similar at first glance, incorporating drains and weeps from the glazing pocket, but no effort is made to create an air barrier or “zone-glaze” each glass or spandrel unit, and therefore a larger amount of water is forced into the system and must be weeped away. Also, since no air barrier exists, the pressure differential between the glazing pocket and the interior may be strong enough to force water vertically higher than interior gaskets, resulting in leaks. Weep holes in a water-managed system function largely to drain water that enters the glazing pocket while weep holes in a pressure-equalized system function primarily as vents to allow air movement between the exterior and glazing pocket. Weeping of water is only a secondary function. Note that the easiest way to recognize a pressure-equalized rain screen system is yo note that the that glazing pocket around each individual unit of glass is isolated air tight from adjacent units, most obviously with plugs or seals at the gaps between screw splines at mullion intersections. Detailing of spandrels, shadow boxes and interface with adjacent construction must maintain the continuity of the air barrier and rainscreen to function properly with a pressure-equalized rainscreen curtain wall framing system.
Some aluminum curtain wall systems are still designed as face-sealed barrier walls. it will reply on continuous and perfect seals between the glass units and the frame and between all frame members to perform. The long-term reliability of such seals is extremely suspect and such systems should be avoided.
Now the unitized curtain wall system have become the preferred method for enclosing buildings, as more building owners, architects and contractors conclude the benefits of this type of construction. Unitized systems allow buildings to be enclosed quickly, which can help to speed up the construction process leading to earlier occupation. The fabrication process for unitized systems is more consistent than for stick-built curtain walls, as unitized wall systems are constructed in almost an assembly line fashion, indoors, and under controlled environmental conditions.
