curtain wall
A continuous facade of panels joined to a metal support frame hung outside the building framework.
A curtain wall is a continuous sheet of panels joined to a metal support frame which is hung onto the outside of a building framework. These sheets may be constructed from prefabricated panels (often as tall as 3 floors each), or assembled at the construction site from their component windows, panels, and vertical and horizontal framing pieces.
The most common panel materials in a curtain wall are glass and aluminum, with an aluminum frame. However other facade materials can be integrated into a curtain wall, including panels of stone veneer.
The supporting metal frame joins the panels into a hanging facade system. Panel facades instead use individually mounted bordering pieces without that shared hanging framework.
