Curtain Walling or Steel?

[SBMS]

Hi all

Still at design stage and architect has designed a front glazed opening with a door and 2 storey glazing. It's 2700mm wide and 4700mm tall.  We are having an open gallery so there is no floor that would allow us to naturally separate the glazing into two units.  

 

Do you think curtain walling is the only approach? I wondered about whether to put a small-ish steel in at the first floor anyway and clad it on the outside and inside, allowing us to go with conventional aluminium glazing/door below and above? What are people's thoughts?

 

[Moonshine]

Curtain wall, 

[joe90]

Fir me I would find out costs first, if one is 10 times the price of the other it might be a game changer.

[SBMS]

19 minutes ago, Moonshine said:

Curtain wall, 

Because of...price? Structurally impossible? Look naff?

[JohnMo]

Think you need to careful it doesn't look like an office. Curtain walling and double glass front doors leads you that direction.

 

I would look to simplify.

[Moonshine]

26 minutes ago, SBMS said:

Because of...price? Structurally impossible? Look naff?

 

I had a similar thing, and all glazing companies I spoke to said curtain walling. I looked at doing steels but would have ruined the look

 

It turned out o.k on a 3 storey space.

 

[SBMS]

1 minute ago, Moonshine said:

 

I had a similar thing, and all glazing companies I spoke to said curtain walling. I looked at doing steels but would have ruined the look

 

It turned out o.k on a 3 storey space.

 

Nice! Do you mind me asking how much?

[SBMS]

13 minutes ago, JohnMo said:

Think you need to careful it doesn't look like an office. Curtain walling and double glass front doors leads you that direction.

 

I would look to simplify.

Interesting point.. I might ask the architects to do a version with solid doors vs the glass doors, is it the glass doors you think could make it look like an office?

[Moonshine]

11 minutes ago, SBMS said:

Nice! Do you mind me asking how much?

About £4k installed as part of the window package, without the door. Quote was from 2021

[Moonshine]

9 minutes ago, SBMS said:

Interesting point.. I might ask the architects to do a version with solid doors vs the glass doors, is it the glass doors you think could make it look like an office?

 

I think solid would look nicer 

[Iceverge]

There's too many things going for my taste.  

 

1. Traditional brick style main body. 

2. Very twee windows in the brick section with lots of divisions. 

3. Modern ( slightly like a commercial building) curtain wall. 

4. Timber cladding dropped in as a "oooo that'd be nice" without much other consideration. 

 

It points to me of someone over directing their designer. 

 

 

I would get rid of the timber cladding and the curtain wall because it doesn't match the traditional style of the rest of the house.

 

Otherwise maybe put some more contempary glazing in the brick section and get rid of the traditional brick details in favour of something more simple. 

 

In short, pick a style, and a pallet and stick to it. 

 

 

THIS

 

 

OR THIS

 

 

[SBMS]

3 minutes ago, Iceverge said:

There's too many things going for my taste.  

 

1. Traditional brick style main body. 

2. Very twee windows in the brick section with lots of divisions. 

3. Modern ( slightly like a commercial building) curtain wall. 

4. Timber cladding dropped in as a "oooo that'd be nice" without much other consideration. 

 

It points to me of someone over directing their designer. 

 

 

I would get rid of the timber cladding and the curtain wall because it doesn't match the traditional style of the rest of the house.

 

Otherwise maybe put some more contempary glazing in the brick section and get rid of the traditional brick details in favour of something more simple. 

 

In short, pick a style, and a pallet and stick to it. 

 

 

THIS

 

 

OR THIS

 

 

Thanks for the feedback. The elevations drawings aren’t representative of the window style. It’ll be more like this:

 

Done in aluminium, not really twee or cottage like.

The black cladding is on other parts of the house as well: the architect has tied it in. 
 

I’ll post up the full design at some point.

 

The feedback on the doors though I agree with and hadn’t to be honest noticed till now, so will definitely be switching them out for solid. 

 

[Wil]

We're having exactly this debate with our double storey infill (3). We've introduced a central beam across above the door (where 3 is marked) which will give a covering over the front door and split the glazing in half top and bottom. old plan below.

 

The two stone gables are existing and we're retrofitting the entrance lobby and the single story extension and replacing all the glazing for simpler more modern.

 

 

[nod]

9 hours ago, JohnMo said:

Think you need to careful it doesn't look like an office. Curtain walling and double glass front doors leads you that direction.

 

I would look to simplify.

I’m going to have to stop agreeing with you John 😁

My first thought was office 

[SBMS]

11 hours ago, Wil said:

We're having exactly this debate with our double storey infill (3). We've introduced a central beam across above the door (where 3 is marked) which will give a covering over the front door and split the glazing in half top and bottom. old plan below.

 

The two stone gables are existing and we're retrofitting the entrance lobby and the single story extension and replacing all the glazing for simpler more modern.

 

 

Did you do beam 3 to avoid curtain glass? Are you cladding the front of it or doing it in brick

[craig]

On 08/05/2024 at 19:37, SBMS said:

Do you think curtain walling is the only approach?

 

No, it's not the only approach but it is in my honest opinion, the only sensible approach but it will cost.

[craig]

On 08/05/2024 at 23:57, Wil said:

We're having exactly this debate with our double storey infill (3). We've introduced a central beam across above the door (where 3 is marked) which will give a covering over the front door and split the glazing in half top and bottom. old plan below.

 

The two stone gables are existing and we're retrofitting the entrance lobby and the single story extension and replacing all the glazing for simpler more modern.

 

 

 

Position 3, curtain walling every day of the week, it's too bulky just using window systems and may not even pass wind load calculations as windows (too much deflection).

[Wil]

oops, wrote this and then logged off for a week! 

 

Craig- we've changed the infill panel above the door to solid to put a beam across horizontally. This will form a small overhang/ porch over the door and split the glazing into 2 sections- this should be plenty to avoid deflection? Updated elevation here:

 

Although not sure why the architect has chosen to split the glazing above now! Need to get that line taken out. Should make two fairly even 2.4M panels.

 

@SBMS We will clad the spandrel and cap it in Aluminium or similar for the rain. Will match the top beam detail.

[craig]

10 hours ago, Wil said:

this should be plenty to avoid deflection?

Should be more than enough.