Windows and Façades

Materials, systems and performances

Materials, systems, and perfomances
As nowadays, windows and curtain walls are becoming more and more sophisticated, due to EPB
certifications, Low Energy Design and Passive Buildings, we need to have a basic/average knowledge of
the facades and envelopes technologies:

- Highly technological components to meet/response;

Advanced and complex performances;

Additional stringent requirements such as airtightness, acoustic or hygrothermal performances,

sustainability…

- Industrial manufactured products;

Glazing and systems of profiles are most of the time produced in factories to achieve higher
quality and minimize the site risks;

- Advanced standards:

A very detailed European and International standardization.

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Table of contents:
Materials, products, and systems:
Windows and doors: profiles and systems.
Curtain walls and glass roofs:
- Profiles and systems
- Types of facades: stick and unitized systems,
- Single Skin Facades and Double Skin Facades,
Stability and resistance:
- Static schemes,
Standards and performances:
- Windows and doors,
- Curtain walls and glass roofs,
Cases Study:
- Nice Promenade,
- RTBF, Bruxelles..
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Wednesday, April 19, 2023

Materials, products, and

systems
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Materials, products and systems

Section 1: Profiles and systems for doors and windows:

Aluminum profiles,

Steel profiles, laminated or folded,

Wood profiles, from massive wood to hybrid systems,

PVC, or synthetic, profiles

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Materials, products and systems
Section 1: Profiles and systems for doors and windows:
Windows and doors: Alumimum profiles:

a. Without b. With thermal c. With thermal break and internal insulation: d. Hybrid profiles:
thermal break break: different Left: window frame; aluminum outside,
materials such as Right: sliding window frames wood inside
polyamide, pvc,
polypropylene,
ABS…

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Materials, products and systems
Section 1: profiles and systems for doors and
windows:
Windows steel profiles
Windows and doors: Steel profiles: with thermal break

Windows steel profiles without

thermal break:
Left: “historical” steel profiles
Right : folded profiles

Windows steel profiles with thermal break

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Materials, products and systems
Section 1: Profiles and systems for doors and windows:
Windows and doors: Wood profiles:

a. Massive wood b. Laminated and glued wood c. With aluminum cover to protect surface
from rain and possible deterioration
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Windows and doors: Hybrid or composite profiles:
a. wood, PU insulation and
aluminum cover glued
together
(beware of profiles without
technical approval and of
frames of large dimensions)

b. aluminum-wood profiles,
with fixing parts of synthetical
material (ABS)
(classical system, nearly no
need of technical approval) c. wood, PU insulation encased in wood and aluminum
cover and… tested according to DIN !!!

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Materials, products and systems
Section 1: Profiles and systems for doors and windows:
Windows and doors: PVC profiles:
Pvc with steel reinforcement
to take into account:
- Wind action;
- Weight;
- Dimensions.
(right)

Pvc profiles without added

reinforcement (integrated
by co extrusion in profiles)
(left)

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Materials, products and systems
Section 1: Profiles and systems for doors and windows:

Windows and doors: systems:

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Materials, products and systems
Section 1: Profiles and systems for doors and windows:

Windows and doors: systems:

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Materials, products and systems
Section 2: Profiles and systems for curtain wall systems:

Aluminum profiles,

Steel profiles,

Wood profiles, from massive wood to hybrid systems,

Aluminum 24 10-6
Glass 9 10-6
PVC 70 10-6
Steel 12 10-6
PVC profiles: Wood 4 10-6

PVC profiles for curtain walls systems do not exist due

to the expansion coefficient of PVC

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 Curtain wall systems:

Stick systems,

Unitized, or frame, systems

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Materials, products and systems
Section 2: Profiles and systems: Stick systems:
Curtain walls and skylights:

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Curtain walls and skylights: Aluminum profiles:

a. View of a mullion profile b. View of a junction transom/mullion

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Curtain walls and skylights: Aluminum profiles:

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 Materials, products and systems
Section 2: Profiles and systems:
Steel curtain walls profiles: detailed
connections between mullion and transom

Curtain wall steel

profiles

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Curtain walls and skylights:
steel profiles:

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Materials, products and systems
Section 2: Profiles and systems:
Curtain walls and skylights: Wood profiles: Stick systems:

Wood curtain wall systems are

always hybrid systems combining
wood profiles with synthetic or
metallic profiles

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Curtain walls and skylights:
Wood profiles: Stick systems:

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Curtain walls and skylights:
Wood profiles: Stick systems:

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Materials, products and systems
Section 2: Profiles and systems: Unitized/Frame systems:
Curtain walls and skylights: Aluminum profiles:

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Materials, products and systems
Section 2: Profiles and systems: Unitized/frames systems:
Curtain walls and skylights: Aluminum profiles:

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Curtain walls and skylights: Aluminum profiles:
Manufacturing of the frames

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Curtain walls and skylights: Aluminum profiles:
Manufacturing of the frames

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Curtain walls and skylights: Aluminum profiles:
Installation of the frames

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Materials, products and systems
Section 2: Unitized/frames systems:
Curtain walls and skylights:
Wood profiles:

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Curtain walls and skylights: Wood
profiles: Unitized systems:

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Curtain walls and skylights:
Wood profiles: Unitized systems:

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Curtain walls and skylights:
Wood profiles:

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 Curtain wall systems:

Single Skin Facades SSF,

Double Skin Facades DSF

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Materials, products and systems
Section 1: Profiles and systems: Types of facades:
Single and double skin facades:

Single skin facades:

Facades consisting of one single wall that can

be a stick façade, an unitized/frame façade or
even a hybrid facade

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 Double skin facades:

Facades consisting of at least, 2

layers;

The layers can be a stick or a

unitized/frame system or even a
mixed one.

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“Façades respirantes” and Close cavity facades:

“Façades respirantes”:

Whatever type of the façade, a

“Façade respirante” consists of 2
layers separated by an air space
open to the exterior;

This cavity is equipped with

openings and filters that allow an
equalization of the partial vapor
pressure in the cavity.

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“Façades respirantes” and Closed Cavity
Facades:
Closed Cavity Facades CCF:

Whatever type of the façade, a Close

Cavity Facade consists of 2 layers
separated by a closed air space;

The cavity is supplied with dried air

through a specific central unit that
performs the regeneration process of
air within the device and controls all
connected elements.

Closed Cavity Façade: Bibliothèque

Nationale de France, Paris
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Top-floor façade of Principal Place
(London) development using 7 m high
unitized elements adopting self-
conditioning technology: Mock-up and
installed units
Closed Cavity Façade: Roche
Diagnostic, Rotkreuz, Switzerland
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 Curtain wall systems:

Hybrid and Bespoke

systems:
- VEA,
- Structural Glass,
- Custom-made systems…

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Specific facades:
VEA facades: bolted glass panes:
LEX 2000, European Counsel, Brussels

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VEA facades: bolted glass panes

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Bolted glass panes on cables:

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Bolted glass panes on cables:

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 VEC on glass columns and beams:
Museum of European History, Brussels

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 Curved unitized panels:
Atomium, Brussels

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 Stability and resistance
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High rise building with wood caissons

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High rise building with
wood caissons: a
challenge?

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Static of façade: cantilever
beam Design and execution

Panel 1
level high Superior
panel

Inferior panel

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 Standards and performances
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Standards and
prescriptions: Product standard: Doors and
Windows:
Prescriptions of performances: Product standard: Curtain Walls:
Define the tests and the
Windows, Curtain Walls and glass Define the tests and the
performances
roofs performances

The NBN B25-002-1 standard define

the performances of Windows and
Curtain Walls:
- Air permeability,
- Watertightness,
 Prescriptions for windows:
Airtightness classes:
Watertightness classes:

Wind resistance classes:

Always ask to Air tests

have the first generally start
measure at 50 Pa: at 100 Pa
EPB performance
requires a blower
door test at 50 Pa
 Laboratory test for Air and
Water tightness: Terraced
Tower, Rotterdam, SAPA
laboratory

Laboratory test for Air and Water

tightness and Wind resistance:
Docks, Brussels
Reynaers laboratory
On-site tests for Air and Water tightness:
Sluishuis, Amsterdam
 Prescriptions for curtain wall systems:
Airtightness classes
Water-tightness classes

Air tests generally

start at 100 Pa

Always ask to have the first

measure at 50 Pa:
EPB performance requires a
blower door test at 50 Pa
Wind resistance classes: to be
calculated according NBN EN 13830
Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi Hospital, Yuanda laboratory, Shenyang,
China
Air and Water tightness tests according to ASTM Standards
Air and Water tightness tests on a Reynaers system, Reynaers
laboratory, Duffel
Tests according to NBN and EN standards
On-site Air and Water tightness
tests, RTBF, Brussels

Tests according to NBN

and EN standards
 Nice Promenade: Air and Water tightness:
Office:

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Case Study
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Nice Promenade: Air and Water tightness:
Office:

Tightness of facades:

- North façade: inward sloped façade,

water ingresses at different levels,
- Curtain wall tick system, coverplates on
mullions and transoms = different and
not connected,
- Junctions with other facades: not
airtight,
 Horizontal section:
Junction with adjacent façade, spandrel area
Inside building,
office level

No airtightness as the connection between

facades is open at bottom and top,
Steel sheets are not sealed,

Outside building, slab

and spandrel level
No airtightness as the connection between facades is open at
bottom and top,
Steel sheets are not sealed,
Outside air in communication with inside,
Coverplates of mullions: flat coverplate

Consequence:
coverplates not in the
same plan, water leakage
due to an excessive
amount of rainwater in
the drainage system of
profiles

Coverplates of transoms: hollow coverplate

Corrective measures taken:
RTBF: on-site tests: Air permeability and Watertightness:
The levels of drainage of the mullion
and the transom is the same: the
connection between the EPDM gaskets
of both profiles is to be ‘’perfect’’,

The coverplates are fixed by screws:

the screws drill the EPDM gaskets, with
possible water ingress (as seen during
the test),
Installation prescriptions of STABALUX:
The performances, air and watter tightness mainly depend on
the ‘’quality’’ of the workmanship on site,
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Contact Us

claude.pimpurniaux@besix.com

+32 476/98 81 68

Avenue des Communautés, 100

B-1200 Bruxelles