Preventable curtain wall failures

Curtain wall systems are designed to protect the interior of a commercial building from the often harsh exterior environment. A curtain wall failure can be easy to resolve or lead to a lengthy and expensive remediation process.

In many cases, curtain wall failures are caused by fairly simple errors that occur during the fabrication and installation process. These are errors that could easily be prevented by a wider awareness of how curtain walls perform and how to install them so they can perform as intended.

All stakeholders in a commercial curtain wall project should have a high level understanding of the few errors that cause the majority of in-field failures.

This presentation will highlight these errors so that all stakeholders will have a better understanding of what they should be looking for to ensure a safe and successful curtain wall application.

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The editors of Building Design+Construction present 10 “Great Solutions” that highlight innovative technology and products that can be used to address some of the many problems Building Teams face in their day-to-day work. Readers are encouraged to submit entries for Great Solutions; if we use yours, you’ll receive a $25 gift certificate. Look for more Great Solutions in 2012 at: www.bdcnetwork.com/greatsolutions/2012.

Rainscreen system installed at the west building envelope expansion of the University of Arizona’s Meinel Optical Sciences Center in Tucson, with its folded glass wall and copper-paneled, breathable cladding over precast concrete.

| Dec 10, 2011

Energy performance starts at the building envelope

Rainscreen system installed at the west building expansion of the University of Arizona’s Meinel Optical Sciences Center in Tucson, with its folded glass wall and copper-paneled, breathable cladding over precast concrete.

| Dec 10, 2011

Turning Balconies Outside In

Operable glass balcony glazing systems provide solution to increase usable space in residential and commercial structures.

| Dec 10, 2011

BIM tools to make your project easier to manage

Two innovations—program manager Gafcon’s SharePoint360 project management platform and a new BIM “wall creator” add-on developed by ClarkDietrich Building Systems for use with the Revit BIM platform and construction consultant—show how fabricators and owner’s reps are stepping in to fill the gaps between construction and design that can typically be exposed by working with a 3D model.