25+ years' experience
Decades of industry experience ensuring quality craftsmanship and reliability.
Nationwide projects
Delivering bespoke aluminium shop fronts to businesses across the UK.
Fast project completion
Efficient turnaround times to get your storefront ready without delays.
What Are Glass Curtain Walls?
Curtain walling systems are a form of non-structural external cladding that shields the inside of buildings from the elements, increasing their security as well as reducing their maintenance needs. While glass curtain walls typically feature on high rises and modern buildings to receive as much natural light as possible, various materials are used in the fabrication of curtain walling systems to achieve contemporary and traditional facades.
Benefits of Installing Curtain Walls
1. Shock Resistance
Although our curtain walling systems provide no structural support, their connection to the building frame allows them to transfer seismic loads to the primary structure. This prevents them from warping or shattering in the event of high seismic activity, such as earthquakes.
2. Weather Resistance
The airtight construction of our glass curtain walls creates an impenetrable barrier against wind, rain, and frost, keeping the inside of your building dry and free from damp.
3. Fire Resistance
The fire-rated glazing used in the fabrication of our glass curtain walls not only protects the inside of your building from external flames but also prevents the spread of fire and smoke through the connection points between your interior walls and floors.
4. Thermal Insulation
Our double-glazed glass curtain walls are excellent at insulating heat from sunlight, contributing to the energy efficiency of your business.
5. Noise Reduction
Curtain walling systems can reduce noise from external sources by up to two decibels, making them ideal for busy city centres.
6. Low Maintenance
Resistant to corrosion and dirt accumulation, curtain walls require minimal maintenance to preserve their pristine appearance.
7. Increased Visibility
By concealing vents at the connection points between your building and curtain walls, you can maximise the visibility into and out of your commercial building.
8. Increased Security
The installation of our curtain walls not only grants them resistance to seismic activity, but also allows them to transfer blunt force caused by acts of vandalism. This impressive security feature has earned our curtain walling a rating of 3,600 on the PAScal safety calculator.
9. Customisability
Whether your building is pitched, sloped, barrel-vaulted, or pyramid-shaped, we can adapt the design of our curtain walling systems to suit the specifications of your property. Furthermore, London Shop Fronts supplies a range of glazing adaptors, gaskets and pressure plates to provide glazing options of 3mm to 50mm.
How Is Curtain Walling Installed?
Stick systems
This method involves assembling and installing your curtain walling system on-site, inserting individual pieces of glazing into frames before attaching them to your building, usually working from the centre Installing your curtain walling in this manner allows the transoms to be square or step cut, while increasing the lateral resistance the frames provide to your building.
Unitised systems
This curtain walling system is fabricated off-site and then installed in modules or ‘ladder frames’. By installing your curtain walling in sections, you can significantly reduce the installation timeframe while providing a true mullion-drained
Double glazed systems
This type of curtain walling features an exterior and interior layer of glass, such that an air gap is created between the layers. This design provides additional insulation to your building for improved energy efficiency while reducing noise transmission.
Structural glazed systems
Rather than framing each piece of glazing, this system uses structural silicone to bond the glass directly to the framework. This makes it possible to achieve a frameless frontage, elevating the sleek appearance of your premises.
Spider Glass systems
This method of curtain wall installation similarly circumvents conventional frames in favour of fixed-point glass panels, which are connected to your building via metal fittings. Made from stainless steel in place of aluminium, the design is visually striking while ensuring the same durability as other methods.
In addition to the methods mentioned above, curtain walling can be installed in either the propped or hung conditions. The propped condition involves fixing the walling from floor level and building up, while the hung condition involves fixing the walling at the top of the building and hanging it down the facade.
Curtain Walls from London Shop Fronts
As an experienced curtain wall installation company, London Shop Fronts can help you create a custom curtain wall system to your exact specifications and requirements. Over the past three decades, our fabrication process has undergone repeated refinement, while the end product has undergone extensive testing to ensure it meets the standards of Curtain Walling and Cladding Technology (CWCT).
If you are keen to improve the durability, security and curb appeal of your commercial building, contact us today to discuss your curtain walling installation and fabrication requirements.
How Much Does a Glass Curtain Wall Cost?
The cost of fabricating and installing your curtain walls will vary depending on your chosen method of installation, customisation and the size of your property. We recommend you contact us or complete our quote form for an accurate estimate.
At London Shop Fronts, we manufacture our elements in our UK factory, such that we can supply curtain walling systems much faster than competing providers. Furthermore, as our experienced team of tradespeople handles the customisation and installation of your curtain walling, you can be confident that you are getting the lowest possible price for our service.
Are Glass Curtain Walls Sustainable?
With more businesses setting environmental and sustainability goals, aluminium curtain walling stands out as the perfect choice for environmentally conscious companies. Two-thirds of the energy required to extract aluminium is supplied by renewable sources, such as hydroelectric power. Furthermore, the final product is not only recyclable, but the recycling process can be carried out indefinitely without impairing the quality of the metal.
Re-smelting aluminium saves up to 95% of the energy needed to produce the primary product, and around 70% of all aluminium is recycled at the end of its product life. It’s not only the most cost-effective material to recycle, but the recycled product is of a very high quality.
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