Structural Glazing System Glass Curtain Walls Tempered Glass Curtain Wall Steel Structure Building
Structural glazing systems, in their simplest form, are types of curtain wall systems consisting of glass that is bonded or anchored back to a structure without the use of continuously gasketed aluminum pressure plates or caps.
YIHAI structural glazing façade system provides a fully flush surface while also providing superior quality, durability and performance. Our system can accommodate flush, curved, sloped and facetted façades with a wide range of fixing options including; steel fittings, bespoke brackets, glass fins, tension trusses etc. One of the aesthetic features of our system is the ability to conceal the building structure and hardware behind the glass facade. Glass can be manufactured to a range of choices including; curved, printed, annealed, tempered and laminated glass. All our structural glass systems are bespoke and designed in-house to your projects specific requirements.
Structural glazing systems, in their simplest form, are types of curtain wall systems consisting of glass that is bonded or anchored back to a structure without the use of continuously gasketed aluminum pressure plates or caps. The glass can be comprised of monolithic, laminated, dual-glazed or even triple-glazed insulating glass units (IGUs). The back-up structure may use horizontal and/or vertical aluminum mullions or be a glass mullion, steel blade, cable or stainless steel rod. The interior and exterior may use extruded silicone/EPDM gaskets, or a wet sealed silicone depending on the system. This system creates a completely clean, flush exterior appearance while the interior members have many different options depending on design and budget.
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 have 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.
Stick Built Structural Glazing System
A stick-built structural glazing system is one of the oldest and most conventional curtain wall types. It is assembled from similar components to that of a captured system, with the exception of an exterior aluminum pressure plate and cap with gaskets to hold the glass in place. It is either siliconed or toggle fastened in place on site depending on the manufacturer’s system. The toggled system glazing is predominantly shop fabricated to have either a channel bonded to the back of the glass with silicone, or to have the insulating glass spacer frame with a reveal to fasten to internally.
Unitized Structural Glazing System
A unitized structural glazing system is a pre-assembled glazing system. Multiple glazing types and materials can be combined into one “unit” in a quality controlled shop environment. The glazing materials are siliconed in place and allowed to fully cure to give a similar flush exterior appearance to that of the stick-built system, without the concerns for weather conditions on site (as you should not silicone below 40 degrees Fahrenheit) and quality of sealant application on site by the tradesmen.