A curtain wall is a non-load-bearing outer facade hung like a thin skin in front of a building’s load-bearing structure. The facade carries only its own weight and the wind and climate loads, not the floors or roof.
Application
The curtain wall is typical of modern office and high-rise buildings. Characteristics:
- Build-up — a grid of slender mullions and transoms (aluminium, steel or timber) into which glass and panel infills are set.
- Suspension — the facade is fixed with brackets to the floor edges or columns and hangs freely in front of the structure.
- Freedom — because it does not carry load, the facade can be fully glazed and run the whole height.
The load-bearing structure (columns and floors) takes all the loads, so the facade can stay light and transparent. Points of attention are air-tightness, watertightness, thermal breaks (cold bridges) and accommodating expansion and building movement. The curtain wall is closely tied to the rise of frame (skeleton) construction.
Related terms
- Facade
- Glazing
- Frame construction
- Cladding
- Cold bridge
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