CURTAIN WALLS
Art and Architecture
Curtain Wall Exterior of the Burj Tower of Dubai (Architect Magazine ;James Steinkamp Photography)
Abstract
Preamble
Chapter 1 Introduction
Introduce Curtain Wall using Case Study Introduction Burj Khalifa Dubai, UAE
Rationale for Study
Aim
Objective
Chapter 2 Literature Review
History
New designs
Engineering
Building examples
Chapter 3 Methodology
Chapter 4 Results
Chapter 5 Discussion
Chapter 6 Conclusion
References
Appendices
Curtain walls are one of the most important architectural façade treatements that can be made to protect the workers in a high-rise office building from the changing weather elements. Due to the onset of global warming, sustainable features of buildings must be able to withstand climate change and possible extreme weather events. Practicality and sustainability must be couple with aesthetics so that the building will be attractive. In fact, modern uses of curtain walls are for the same purposes but design and engineering are pushing the functionality of curtain walls to the highest levels possible.
Brief Description
The benefits of a curtain wall are based on the connection of external space to internal space in order to allow light and fresh air. The curtain wall must be attractive on the inside as well as from the outside as exampled in the Burj Khalifa (Shapiro 2010). (See Fig. A-1). The Burj Khalifa is the tallest tower in the world and is located in Dubai, UAE. The tower is an excellent example of how contemporary curtain walls are meeting modern needs. The Burj’s curtain wall is constructed with about 28,000 flat panels from the wide bottom (See cover figure) to the narrow top levels. In order to aid the installation process, the top panels of the 160+ storey (2717 foot tall) tower are narrower and taller at the top (Emaar Properties 2015). (See fig. A-2) The average weight of the panels is about 800 pounds (Shapiro 2010).
The original lead designer explained that the main reason for the curved façade is to “disperse sunlight” so the curtain wall does not act as a mirror as in other designs (Shapiro 2010). The tower is built with a curved façade in order to better endure the impacts of the desert sunlight and wind in Dubai. The technical accomplishment is the construction of a unitized double-layer glass curtain wall that is inset into extruded aluminum frames (Shapiro 2010). (See fig. A-3) The surface is perfectly smooth with no horizontal edges where dust would collect (Shapiro 2010).
The managing director of the project, George Efstathiou explained that cladding is an engineering technique that must be handled to allow the least risk possible. Therefore the curtain wall cladding does not vary in a way that interferes with the cladding. Wind engineering was applied to adapt the trefoil form of the tower to handle 110 pounds per foot of wind load when necessary (See fig. A-4). The trefoil design therefore is integrated with cladding and the overall curtain wall construction to create a durable, sustainable building.
Rationale of the Study
The dissertation will demonstrate how “the curtain wall technology that first emerged in the mid-twentieth century is not the diverse facade technology of today” by explaining the development of the curtain wall as a highly effective and versatile facade system (Eclos 2016). The reason is because the curtain wall is an excellent facade to meet sustainable needs as well as add beauty to a building.
Objectives
References
Shapiro, G. F. 2010. Detail: Burj Khalifa Curtain Wall. Architect Magazine. [Online] Accessed from http://www.architectmagazine.com/technology/detail/detail-burj-khalifa-curtain-wall_o [6 Feb. 2016]
EMAAR Properties. 2015. At the Top Burj Khalifa Sky (Levels 148 & 125). Burjkhalifa.ea. [Online] Accessed from http://www.burjkhalifa.ae/en/the-tower/ [9 Feb. 2016]
Enclos. 2016. “Curtainwall is not curtainwall.” [Online] Accessed from http://www.enclos.com/ [1 Feb. 2016.
Appendices
Figure A- 1 Curtain Wall Interior of Burj Khalifa in Dubai UAE (Emaar Properties 2015)
Figure A- 2 EMAAR Properties. 2015. At the Top Burj Khalifa Sky (Levels 148 & 125). Burjkhalifa.ea. [Online] Accessed from http://www.burjkhalifa.ae/en/the-tower/ [9 Feb. 2016]
Figure A- 3 Schematic of Curtain Wall of Burj Tower Dubai (Shapiro 2010)
Figure A- 4 Exterior Burj Tower Dubai with vertical fin design (Shapiro 2015)
