Think Carefully About Your Curtain Wall Installation

 As it is well acknowledged, even a well-designed glazing system can be easily degraded by poor installation methods. Curtain walls are generally highly engineered and factory built with close tolerances. However, the placement of these precisely manufactured assemblies on a structure with much greater dimensional tolerances can lead to issues with the overall facade, such as air and water leakage as well as unanticipated repairs. 

As a rule, curtain walls are typically installed from the outside, and the panels are lifted into place by a crane or a hoisting rig. If the anchors are not cast directly into the slab, field installation begins with the layout and installation of anchors on the slab edges. The panels are then fastened to the anchors. The curtain wall contractor will rely on the offset lines and elevation benchmarks set by the general contractor. Any error in setting these lines will impact the installation of the wall. All such marks should be set well in advance of the curtain wall construction so as to allow cross-checking and preparation by the curtain wall contractor. In addition, wind is a limiting factor during installation as the panels are heavy and have a large surface area that can be affected by wind and be difficult to place. Extreme cold and extreme heat are also problematic because these systems are designed to close tolerances, and the weather can impact both the worker and the materials being handled. On the other hand, the worse quality of curtain wall buildings can be affected by poor workmanship due to rushed installation, working in inclement weather, having multiple or untrained trades involved, and having complicated design details. Installation issues are not always attributable to the facade/cladding installation. Variations in the tolerances of the building frame elements can be a significant quality issue when installing curtain walls. 

Curtain walls have an advantage for adapting to these variations than window walls since they are installed outside of the building and attach to the building at point anchors only. In the current market, transoms and mullions are regarded mostly used curtain wall frames, transferring the loads from the glass panels to the connections. The glazing panels should be designed to resist the wind loads at the specific height while having the required thermal insulation. Transoms and mullions are the structural frames holding these glasses and transferring the loads to the main structure through the connections.

Preventing soaring prices as the resumption of production

Industry associations and Chambers of commerce may, according to the epidemic situation in different regions, provide services for steel pipe suppliers to restore production order, and support enterprises in low-risk regions to resume work and production in a comprehensive manner, enterprises in medium-risk regions to resume work and production in an orderly manner as soon as possible, and enterprises in high-risk regions to gradually resume work and production according to the epidemic situation.

Chambers of commerce of trade associations in other fields should actively coordinate with local governments to push enterprises that meet the requirements for epidemic prevention to start production as soon as possible. For industrial enterprises, especially private small and medium-sized enterprises, which have difficulty in resuming work and production of aluminium curtain wall in the years ahead, trade associations and Chambers of Commerce, should take the initiative to understand the actual difficulties of enterprises, report to relevant departments in a timely manner and coordinate with them to solve the problems. Qualified trade associations and Chambers of commerce can set up international and domestic procurement platforms for epidemic prevention supplies, organize collective procurement by private small and medium-sized enterprises, or coordinate and integrate industrial resources to produce their own products, so as to meet the urgent needs of the time. They should do their best to provide consulting services and technical support for the production of epidemic prevention supplies at full capacity, giving priority to the needs of medical personnel, public service industries and small green house when they resume work and production.

Associations and Chambers of commerce in labor-intensive industries should report the employment situation and employment difficulties to local governments or departments concerned in a timely manner coordinate the implementation of relief and relief policies, and ease the labor shortage and employment difficulties caused by the epidemic. We will encourage trade associations and Chambers of commerce to provide online vocational training to industry enterprises, and help them improve the quality of their labor force and restore their production capacity of curtain wall as soon as possible. Associations and Chambers of commerce in industries such as steel, coal, electricity, oil, natural gas and basic raw materials should advocate member enterprises to stabilize supply and prices, so as to prevent regional or time period shortages or large price increases brought about by the resumption of work and production. Trade associations and Chambers of commerce in the fields of railways, civil aviation, highways, ports, logistics, warehousing and distribution, and foreign trade should actively help enterprises in the industry, especially private small and medium-sized enterprises, to solve the problems of transportation, storage, distribution and customs clearance of raw materials and products.