semi-structural facade systems
Semi-structural aluminum facade systems are one of many modern solutions absolutely required by contemporary architecture. The spatial effect of buildings is created by impressive, large-scale glazing that connects the interior of buildings with their immediate surroundings. Semi-structural aluminum-glass systems allow for exceptionally flexible design and installation of very large glass surfaces. Using such systems in a facade design certainly emphasizes its prestige and has a direct impact on the appearance of the entire building, while significantly improving its energy efficiency. Professional facades constructed using semi-structural aluminum facade systems allow for smooth, uniform glass surfaces, giving buildings a unique, modern design. Carefully selected glass panes play a fundamental visual role in these systems, while aluminum elements serve only a structural role and remain visible only from the interior.
Semi-structural facade systems
are used to design and construct structures that provide a flat exterior surface without visible aluminum profiles. They combine the advantages of typical mullion-and-transom facade systems with the aesthetic qualities of full structural facade systems. The structural solutions of semi-structural systems are characterized by flexibility and extensive possibilities in terms of aluminum profile dimensions and their connections, thus enabling the implementation of projects with a wide range of sizes and shapes, in line with the expectations of the designer and investor. Semi-structural systems allow for the construction of lightweight curtain walls, including straight and perpendicular ones, inclined walls with vertical and horizontal breaks, oval, curved, or polygonal ones. These systems enable the integration of tilt-and-turn windows into facade structures, maintaining a uniform external structure with the facade when closed. These facade systems enable the construction and installation of walls with very large optical surfaces and a modern appearance. The visual effect of such curtain walls is based on concealing the aluminum profiles on the interior of the façade and therefore depends largely on the type of glazing used. Experience shows that the less transparent the glass, the better the aesthetics of a semi-structural aluminum façade. The best results are achieved with dark-toned, highly reflective glazing.
The construction of semi-structural facade systems
is largely based on the structural solutions of classic facade systems, utilizing a mullion-transom structure as the load-bearing element. The glazing method is the detail that completely distinguishes semi-structural facades from the structurally similar traditional mullion-transom facades. Semi-structural facade systems enable the mechanical connection of insulating glass units to the facade structure using C-channels – special C-shaped profiles glued into specially prepared recesses between two insulating glass units. These C-channels – permanently glued between the glass panes – house mounting plates, which are then screwed to the aluminum profiles that constitute the curtain wall frame. As a result, such a glazed structure has virtually no exposed external aluminum elements; only the glass infills are visible from the outside, creating a uniform, smooth glazing surface divided by vertical and horizontal silicone seal lines or system gaskets.
The glazing of semi-structural facade systems
are distinguished from those of other systems. The glass used to construct insulating glass units is tempered or laminated on the exterior and interior sides, and due to the size of the glazing, it has a thickness of 6 to 8 mm, or even more for particularly demanding projects. Infills of widely varying total thicknesses are possible, but a specific assembly is crucial – with the spacer recessed from the outer edge of the glass. Recessing the spacer within the unit creates space for gluing the channel profiles necessary for the mechanical connection of the glazing to the aluminum facade structure. The gaps between the glass units thus secured are filled on the exterior with an insulating polyethylene foam gasket and a high-quality, single-component, low-modulus, neutral-curing silicone sealant that protects against weathering and also guarantees thermal and acoustic insulation. Glass mounting technology enables the use of a wide range of glazing options, from simple single-chamber units to complex insulating glass units. Reflective glass is commonly used for glazing semi-structural facades.
Semi-structural Facade Element Fixing.
As with a typical façade, the supporting structure of a semi-structural wall is a mullion-transom truss, to which the glazing elements are attached from the outside. Aluminum mullion and transom profiles, systematically connected to each other, form a grid covered with a uniform, monolithic glass shell. The glazing of a semi-structural façade is typically composed of very large insulating glass panes separated by narrow gaps filled with a special silicone, typical of this type of structure.
In classic aluminum curtain walls, the glass is fixed with pressure strips with a gasket, while in semi-structural curtain walls, it is fixed with mounting plates, hence the need to design secure fasteners and select the appropriate sealant. Besides strength calculations for the façade structure itself, a key issue in the design and installation of lightweight semi-structural curtain walls is the appropriate arrangement of the glass channels in the insulating glass units and the clamps securing the glazing to the façade structure. Another crucial step is selecting the appropriate silicone and its properties to fill the gaps between the glazing panes and ensure the facades' thermal and acoustic insulation, as well as resistance to external conditions. The semi-structural wall structure itself is attached to the building's load-bearing elements or to specially prepared steel support structures in the same manner as typical mullion-transom facades.
Advantages of semi-structural facade systems.
Semi-structural aluminum curtain walls offer, above all, a completely new aesthetic, linked to the exterior facade surface. Thanks to the use of a special system for connecting the glazing to the supporting structure, the exterior achieves the effect of a structurally uniform, smooth glass surface, with only narrow sealing lines of individual glass panes visible. Semi-structural facade systems allow for the integration of various types of window and door structures into the facade grid, integrating them both systemically and visually. Doors can be integrated into the facade structure, as well as various types of windows, most commonly tilt-and-turn, parallel, and slope windows. The mullion-transom structure allows for the design of functional and aesthetic partitioning of the curtain wall by selecting appropriately rigid mullions and transoms, ensuring the required structural stability and strength. Semi-structural façades, in addition to their elegant glazing, are distinguished by their high technical parameters in terms of air permeability, water tightness, and above all, heat transfer and acoustic insulation. In semi-structural façades, glazing is the dominant aesthetic element, but aluminum profiles are also an important visual element of the curtain wall – they define the dividing lines and are visible from the interior of the building. The surfaces of the aluminum profiles are protected against corrosion and finished with polyester powder coatings in colors from the RAL palette. The profiles are also painted in metallic and wood-effect colors.
Applications of Semi-Structural Facade Systems.
Semi-structural systems are primarily intended for the design and installation of lightweight curtain walls; they are also used for roofs and skylights. They enable the implementation of facade designs of a wide variety of sizes and shapes, for example, combining the facade with roof glazing and other interesting solutions. A semi-structural system is a natural choice for spatial planning in buildings that are visually open to the outside world – large glass panes typically extend from floor to ceiling on each floor, with only the inter-story strips protecting the glazed ceilings covered with opaque enameled glass. Semi-structural curtain wall systems are primarily used in office buildings, hotels, educational institutions, hospitals, and other public buildings. By using a semi-structural façade as an external façade, each building acquires a modern yet prestigious character. A façade protected by a uniform glass shell becomes a form that aesthetically stands out from its surroundings.
Basic façade systems used to fabricate semi-structural lightweight curtain walls with mullion-transom construction.
• MC-Glass
• MB-SR50N-EFEKT
