So why would you want to go with a structural glazing system?

Structurally glazed systems create a greater transparency than traditional captured systems. There are less visual interruptions due to the lack of metal on the exterior (and potentially the interior), creating a seamless, continuous glass look. Traditional captured curtain wall systems had pressure plates and caps that can conduct large amounts of heat in or out of the façade depending on the season. Since there is little to no exposed exterior metal, there is also less thermal bridging with structural glazing, saving on energy consumption costs. Now, let’s take a look at some of the different types of structural glazing systems in the market today.

Unitized & Semi Unitized Glazing

Unitized curtain systems are composed of large glass units that are created and glazed within a factory and then sent to the construction site. Since there is no on-site glazing, another major benefit of using a unitized system is the speed of installation

The unitised panels can use any combination of profiles, infill’s, external feature caps and glazing to give building designers complete aesthetic flexibility

Advantages of Unitized Glazing

I. Shorter programme times. Unitised solutions will help contractors and architects meet the increasing demand for shorter programme times, and can achieve impressive reductions in time on site of up to 70 per cent.

II. Improved quality control. Because the façade panels are completed off site, and the external envelope is less affected by inclement weather, quality control is much easier with unitised façades, giving greater peace of mind for the contractor and developer.

Semi-unitized curtain wall glazing system is a type of structural glazing where the primary structural framing components are erected individually as an erector set. In this set, the vertical mullions are attached first to the floor slabs and the horizontals are attached to the vertical mullions to resemble a grid. The glass panel and the spandrel, which can be either glass or aluminium, are shop glazed and installed into the assembled grid work. The joineries and perimeter sealants are fields installed. The semi unitized systems largely anchored to the face of the slab as embedded plates or inserts.

Advantages of Semi-Unitized Glazing

I. The vertical mullions in most semi-unitized glazing systems can span two floors with ease and as a result, provide greater structural efficiency.

II. Most semi-unitized glazing systems have shop-assembled or off-site assembled frames. This reduces the time and cost.