Specification and daily application of glass curtain wall. In general, a curtain wall system is a building envelope that encloses the building in a tight manner, preventing wind pressure, water leakage, and damaging wind and rain events from entering the building. The system consists of glass and a metal frame supporting the curtain wall. Curtain wall systems are usually designed to span multiple floors. In addition, the curtain wall system takes into account thermal expansion and seismic requirements. In addition, the system is designed to resist wind pressure and transfer live load to the intermediate frame.

In the past, buildings were mostly made of wood or masonry. Glass curtain wall has become more common over the past few decades. There are many types of glass, including annealed, tempered, thermal strengthened, laminated and chemically strengthened. Natural stone or thin stone can also be added to the curtain wall system.

In addition to insulating glass, curtain wall systems may also contain factory glass. These glass systems are also known as three pane insulated glass filling systems. Such systems are common in Europe. Glass can be spectroscopically selective, which improves comfort for people close to walls. Glass can also be coated to reduce the energy load.

These systems come in many forms, including unitized, stick, and custom. They are usually manufactured in factories and then installed on site. The benefits of a unified system include rapid installation and quality control in a climate-controlled environment. They also offer low on-site installation costs. However, they can be custom-designed to accommodate a variety of structural movements and structural loads.
In addition to these structural features, the glass curtain wall was designed with visual features in mind. These include sight lines, glass appearance and glass properties. Line of sight is defined as the visual contour of vertical elevations. They are also a function of the depth of the curtain wall frame. This depth is affected by the transverse load resistance requirements of the building. Laminated glass is often specified in hurricane-prone areas.