What is a curtain wall

The stick system is more suited to residential projects

Which method is used to build your glass curtain will be up to your installer, and both curtain wall types offer the same degree of protective value you’d expect from such a product. The stick system is more suited to residential properties because generally they require smaller but more bespoke glazed screens, often in angled shapes and with high-end doors and windows installed within them.

What are the different curtain wall systems?

Although there are only two types of curtain walling used in domestic installation, there are in fact 3 different types of curtain walling systems you could choose to use, each offering a different level of protection from certain outside elements:

• Fully Sealed – with a fully sealed curtain, the glazing and outer wall are entirely sealed and protected from any external weather effects.
• Water Managed – with a water-managed curtain, the glazing is sealed to protect against wind and debris but still allows water in, which is then quickly drained at the base.
• Pressure Equalised – with a pressure-equalised curtain, the curtain still allows water to be drained but keeps the interior of the space airtight while providing equal pressure between the inside and outside.

With this info in mind, you might be curious as to why all curtain walling is not fully sealed, and the answer to this is that the level of sealing you might require will depend on your project needs and budget.

It goes without saying that a fully sealed curtain costs far more than a partially sealed one, and unless your curtain is directly protecting the interior of your home, you likely won’t need to invest in that level of protective glazing.

What type of glass is used in curtain walling?

Here at Express, we offer three different types of glazing that you can choose to have installed in your aluminium curtain walling, each of which offers different benefits:

• Advanced – our standard double-glazing option, our advanced glass has unique low-emission properties thanks to its interior metallic coating. This coating minimises the amount of heat that escapes your home while still allowing in the optimum amount of sunlight.
• Solar Control – our solar control glass offers the same benefits as our advanced glazing but with the added ability to regulate the level of light and heat entering a space. This in turn prevents a greenhouse effect from happening due to the heat retention offered by multiple glass layers.
• Shield – our shield panes are the toughest type of glass we offer, both in terms of physical strength and UV protection. It has both anti-shatter properties and UV protection, ensuring your home’s entire interior is protected.

As with all of the bespoke glass solutions we offer, aluminium curtain walling comes with a wide variety of benefits that might make it an optimal feature to include in your home.

What are the drawbacks of curtain walling?

As you can see, there are plenty of benefits to picking curtain wailing for your home, but that’s not to say that there are no drawbacks to installing this sort of feature in your property.

For one thing, curtain wall does cost a lot more to manufacture and install than other window products due to their size and complexity, so they’re not suited for those on a smaller budget.

Due to the size of aluminium curtain walling much of the installation often takes place at height, which will require scaffolding, this again adds to the cost of installing the product, and if really large glass units are involved specialist lifting requirement may be required.

Finally, curtain walling is deemed a commercial product that when installed doesn’t get checked or examined in the same way it does when installed into someone’s home. It is quite rare to find a Company who can install this specialist product to a standard that is acceptable for a luxury home. It is therefore very important to choose the right Company to install curtain-walling because not only does it need to be manufactured and installed properly but it needs to be guaranteed for a long period of time because any issues or leaks will again require scaffolding and lifting equipment to resolve any issues safely.