Curtainwalls Aren’t Efficient—But They’re Improving
The largest curtainwall systems are typically custom-designed, site-assembled, and competitively bid, but at the medium to small scale, those seeking high-efficiency curtainwalls for projects may turn to companies that provide more standardized systems, whether factory-built unitized ones or site-assembled.
According to John Straube, Ph.D., P.Eng., today there is broad selection of high-performance glazing available to designers along with increasing acceptance of triple glazing. Eastern Canada has seen “a remarkable uptake in triple glazing,” Straube says. “It’s no longer considered ‘insane,’” he notes, but an option that, while expensive, is worth considering. Representatives at Kawneer and Wausau also told
EBN that they’re seeing more triple-glazing specifications in northern climates. Increasingly, manufacturers are also providing a variety of sun control systems that integrate into their curtainwall.
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