Architectural Aluminum Curtain Wall Systems

The curtain wall is the element of a project on which, if you are not doing things right, everybody can get hurt... Walter Scarborough, HKS Inc.
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Most manufacturers test their products through standardized test methods established by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA). Once having defined performance characteristics for the project, the designer can specify products through common guide specifications available from a number of sources. AIA, and The Construction Specifications Institute specification guides reference ANSI/AAMA guidelines.

Storefronts and curtain walls do not have a single performance standard, but are grouped via a series of standardized performance test methods. The three primary weather performance standards are ASTM International E 283, Test Method for Determining Rate of Air Leakage Through Exterior Windows, Curtain Walls and Doors Under Specified Pressure Differences Across the Specimen; ASTM E 331, Test for Water Penetration of Exterior Windows, Curtain Walls and Doors by Uniform Static Air Pressure Difference; and AAMA 501.1, Standard Test Method for Exterior Windows, Curtain Walls and Doors for Water Penetration Using Dynamic Pressure.


Shakespeare Theater, Chicago, IL
VOA Associates

Structural performance is measured by ASTM E 330, Test for Structural Performance of Exterior Windows, Curtain Walls and Doors by Uniform Static Air Pressure Difference. Thermal performance, U-values, and condensation resistance factors are measured under AAMA 1503, Voluntary Test Method for Thermal Transmittance and Condensation Resistance of Windows Doors and Glazed Wall Sections and are standardized through AAMA 1504, Voluntary Specification for Thermal Performance of Windows, Doors and Glazed Wall Sections.

It is important to note, however, says David W. Altenhofen, CSI, CCS, AIA, chief of architectural technology at Philadelphia-based Kling Lindquist, that a project's performance values cannot be determined solely through standardized test procedures and specifications alone.

"The architect must interpret and interpolate test results" for manufacturer's standard assemblies, says Altenhofen. "The discrepancies between the system required for the project and the tested one may be substantial."

 

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Originally published in Architectural Record.
Originally published in December 2005

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