The Modern Trends In New York Curtain Walls

The commercial glass and glazing industry is constantly evolving, and different trends are always entering the marketplace. Here, we’ll talk about some of the latest trends in New york curtain walls.

One current trend is focused on the integration of multiple “infill” materials glazed directly into unitized curtain panels. Infill materials can be any material that is inserted into the curtain wall panel between extruded aluminum support mullions. Traditionally, they have typically been vision glass and spandrel glass (back-painted glazing with fire-resistant insulation materials behind that is located in front of floor slabs) to give the building a homogenous, fully-glazed “all glass box” look, but recently some other facade materials have been coming more into fashion like stone, metal, and terracotta.

Twin-skin or double-skin facades, a facade concept quite commonplace in Europe over the past decade due to the high cost of energy, have also been gaining more popularity in North America with the advent of the green building movement and higher LEED Certification goals for building sustainability. These building envelopes are bespoke systems built with an interior and exterior facade constructed in a way in which air is allowed to flow through the intermediate cavity. In cool climates the solar gain within this cavity can be used to offset heating requirements while in hotter climates, it can be used to decrease the cooling load making these systems functional and very visually distinctive.

Building in a sunny area? Custom sunshades are a great functional option. The design resources with these are truly limitless and give a very distinctive look to your building. Choosing automated sunshades, which is a modern feature, allows these shades to automatically move in order to afford shading and glare protection in specific areas of the building. Add sunshade louvers for an attractive look to your building that can be enjoyed from the inside and out. Some examples of sunshades are aluminum extrusion shapes, terracotta baguettes, mesh screening, formed mesh panels, formed metal panels, and glass louver blades.

Romco Sales Co. is a family owned business in the metal and glass industry, one of the largest metal and glass companies in the New York metropolitan area and the largest supplier of structural glass systems in the country. We have over two decades of experience in the design and installation of various building enclosure systems, including stick-built curtain walls, pre-glazed curtain walls.

Are you considering a Kawneer & Traco Leading Distributor curtain wall as part of your next project? Contact us today to speak with a professional!