Detailing Glazed Systems to Accommodate Structural Movement: Fid-Bau Portal

Detailing Glazed Systems to Accommodate Structural Movement

Li, Xiu T. / Hill, Jonathan D.

Building structures are dynamic and interact with their surroundings. They cannot ignore their surrounding environment. Consequently, exterior cladding systems must be detailed to accommodate building movements associated with these interactions. These movements include vertical deflections and lateral displacements from wind, seismic, and other forces. This paper will focus on the design of glazed curtain wall systems to accommodate structural displacement and is written for design professionals, cladding manufacturers, and contractors. The intent is to help project teams better understand how the building structure impacts the facade and to discuss the challenges cladding and glazing assemblies face when accommodating movement. This paper’s learning objectives are to: (1) provide an overview of glazed assemblies and design requirements; (2) understand how glazing assemblies interact with the structure, particularly at corners; (3) review design solutions for detailing curtain wall to accommodate structure movement, including the corners; (4) provide a method for validating curtain wall performance during structural movement.