Curtain walls

Curtain walls, also called "curtain wall facades" belong to the category of light facades. They ensure the closing of a building envelope without impacting its stability. Increasingly they can be found in recently constructed buildings. They allow for resistance against various exterior disturbances (air infiltration, wind strength, thermal expansion and contraction, fires, etc.). Its design regroups both standard techniques and non-traditional approaches. This article firstly presents the general principles of curtain walls as well as their composition. It then describes traditional design methods such as the grid curtain wall, framework curtain wall, semi wall or even the ventilated curtain wall.