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Jude Obi, Technical Manager, FortevaWorks
Last updated

The short answer

Glass where you want daylight and a view; ACP for the solid walls, where it shades the building from the sun.

Compared onACP claddingGlass curtain wall
Lifespan15 to 20 years with maintenance.20 years or more with maintenance.
InstallationPanels fixed to a sub-structure on the wall: the cassette system (hidden fixings) on high-rises and commercial fronts, face fixing (visible rivets or screws), or structural bonding (tape and adhesive) for light-duty work.Stick system on low-rise: aluminium mullions and transoms fixed on site, then the glass set in and sealed. Unitised on high-rise: glass and frame assembled into units off site, then hung floor by floor.
Upkeep after the free coverWash the panel faces, check the sealant joints and reseal any that crack, and check the fixings are tight, especially after storms.Regular glass cleaning, by cradle on a high-rise, and checks on the seals and gaskets.
Light and heatThe panels and the ventilated cavity behind them shade the wall from direct sun, so less heat reaches the rooms than through glass.Lets daylight in and gives a view out.
Where it fitsSolid walls, bands between floors, low-rise shop fronts, and signage and billboards.Offices, bank halls and showrooms that want daylight and a view.
What moves the costBuilding height, panel grade and fire class, finish and colour, and installation complexity.The glass type (clear, tinted, reflective, laminated or insulated), the system and building height, the aluminium frame size and finish, and the facade area.

ACP is aluminium composite panels, two thin aluminium skins bonded to a core, fixed over a building’s outside walls. A glass curtain wall is a facade of glass held in an aluminium frame fixed to the building’s floor slabs.

Using both on one facade

A common split puts glass on the windows and frontage, and ACP on the solid walls and the bands between floors. Because FortevaWorks installs both, one contractor quotes and builds the whole facade.

What to ask at the site inspection

  1. Which parts of the facade need daylight or a view, and which can be solid?
  2. Does this building need fire-rated ACP, and which class would you advise?
  3. Stick or unitised glazing for this building?
  4. What preparation do the existing walls need before panels go on: level and plumb checks, cleaning, and marking out the fixing grid?

Questions buyers ask

Does FortevaWorks install glass curtain walls?

Yes, by the stick system on low-rise buildings and unitised panels on high-rises, alongside our ACP cladding.

Is fire-rated ACP available?

Yes. ACP comes in fire classes A, B and C, tested to ASTM E84 and EN 13501-1; Class A and Class B are the fire-rated panels. On a high-rise we advise Class A.

What cover comes with a facade?

ACP cladding and glass curtain walls both carry 6 months of free routine servicing, cleaning and checks, and 6 months of free repair of defects, written into the contract.

Related

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