2023 Author: Philip Bishop | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-24 22:24
- Why are facades glazed?
- Glass fixing methods
- Semi-structural glazing
- Spider glazing method
- Selecting a glass unit
Aluminum glazing of facades is widespread and is used not only for office premises, but also for housing. This type of facade protection from external factors is quite effective and has many positive properties. There are several ways to organize glazing.
Why are facades glazed?
This type of decoration is most often inherent in administrative and office buildings, as it gives them solidity, does not require complex maintenance, and is quite expensive. However, some developers also use this type of glazing, decorating the facade in part or in full. Its main functions are as follows:
- Protection of the building from precipitation, wind, sun.
- Glazing transmits sunlight, so it is always quite comfortable indoors.
- The wall can be completely glass, it is possible to install opening elements for ventilation. With the use of appropriate insulating glass units, the external environment will be effectively insulated, a buffer of warm air will be created.
- Attractive appearance and no need to care for materials, high-quality glazing is not inferior to brick walls in terms of strength.
The disadvantages include the high cost of such glazing: one square meter costs about 4 thousand rubles.
Advice: when using such glazing in parking lots and on the ground floors, it is recommended to make a high base from stone or other durable material. Quite often, cars hit double-glazed windows with unsuccessful turns.
Glass fixing methods
Facade glazing, the profile of which is made of aluminum, has a number of advantages, but correct installation is an important aspect. If the structure is not professionally assembled, it will lose its technical properties. It is quite difficult to do the work of installing the profile yourself. It is best to hire experienced installers with the appropriate skills and equipment for this; it is especially difficult to work with a structure at high heights.
Glazing of facades can be done in different ways. The post-transom method is often used: it is based on the use of a system of transoms, posts, which make up the supporting structure for glass elements. The elements are most often aluminum, this makes the structure lighter and cheaper. The outer part of such a frame is closed with a glass unit. To prevent the glass from falling, a clamping mechanism fixes it. The decorative look is given by special overlays that mask it.
The standard width of such a cover does not exceed 6 cm. Thanks to these elements, it is possible to create the feeling that the wall of the building is completely glass. Glasses can be of any shape, if desired, you can use standard flat or convex, if you need to bypass any structure or make decorative protrusions on the facade.
Advice: this type of installation is quite simple, if the glass unit is damaged, it is easy to replace it. If your walls are experiencing a strong external impact, this method of fastening will be most convenient and profitable.
Post-transom semi-closed fastening method: this method is similar to the previously considered option, however, the strips are arranged in a different way, the lining can be voluminous, and the fastening is done using sealant and seals. The disadvantage of this method is the complexity of replacement in case of damage to the glass units. The stripes between the glasses are less noticeable.
Structural facade glazing made of aluminum profiles is another way of glass placement. The clamping strips are not used in this case. There is a gap of not more than 30 mm between the glasses. Seams are sealed with sealant, resulting in a large, seamless construction. The appearance of such glazing is the most interesting, but there are certain difficulties during installation. Aluminum can be used for low-rise buildings, as it does not support the heavy weight of structures with a large number of floors.
Tip: If you want to create structural glazing for a skyscraper, use a steel frame. It is more rigid than aluminum.
For structural glazing, ordinary glass units are not used: non-standard ones will be required. The peculiarity lies in the fact that the glass on the outside is larger than the glass on the inside.
In order to make the structure stronger, hardened glass units are used. They can withstand high loads, they can withstand direct blows from a stone, so they are not afraid of strong wind, aggressive detergents, sand, small stones brought by the wind, and hooliganism. To make the structure airtight, special sealing seams and high strength silicone sealant are used.
Tip: in order to make the facade visually monolithic, the sealant must be chosen in the same color as the glass.
Semi-structural glazing
It differs from the structural use of special glazing beads instead of seams closed with a sealant. They press the glass unit against the frame, do not allow it to go out. The frame of such glazing is made of hard metal. Aluminum acts as additional elements. Semi-structural glazing is structurally more successful in comparison with structural glazing. It allows you to mount opening elements, install double-glazed windows from the inside of the building. If one glass unit is damaged, it is easy to replace it with a new one.
Spider glazing method
A spider is a special type of fastening used to hold a glass unit. Outwardly, it vaguely resembles the legs of a spider. A double-glazed window is clamped into the spider, along the edges of which there are special holes. The fastener is flexible. This type of glazing requires the use of tempered glass units, since the load on them is distributed to the corners. This glazing method allows you to close the crossbars, the ends of floors and walls, and to decorate the columns. The façade can be suspended using a cable system, in this case additional supports are not required
Selecting a glass unit
Aluminum facade glazing bears a greater load compared to plastic windows, therefore, its installation requires the use of special types of glass units. First of all, tempered glass should be used: ordinary ones may not withstand high loads and burst. The number of chambers in a glass unit can be different. Single-chamber double-glazed windows are the cheapest, but they keep heat worse than double-chamber ones, which are the most optimal option for the facade. For the northern regions, it is possible to use thicker double-glazed windows.
Note that thicker double-glazed windows are better at isolating heat and noise, but their weight increases significantly. The weight of the double-chamber tempered glass unit is 11 kg / m 2. The aluminum frame is not rigid enough to support a very heavy structure.
Conclusion: aluminum facade glazing is a rather modern solution for building decoration. It allows you to solve several problems at once, has high strength, durability and attractive appearance.
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