The Curtain Wall Industry: History & Current State

The Evolution of Façade Design

The first building introduced with a curtain wall was the Crystal Palace in the Great Exhibition held in London in 1851.

The Crystal Palace in the Great Exhibition, London, 1851, pioneered façade design. For the exhibition hall for most exhibits, a greenhouse-like frame glass structure was adopted, which not only rendered the Crystal Palace the most glorious of all exhibits, but also pioneered façade design engineering.

After nearly a century of development, façade fabrication, in terms of type, has developed from a simple exposed-frame glass one to a semi-exposed-frame or hidden-frame, full-glass one, as well as using various metal, stone, or artificial panels; in terms of structure, the façade fabrication has developed from a simple frame one to a unitized, point-supported, double-skinned, and membrane-structured one; in addition, more energy-efficient, ecological façade panels, photoelectric façade, and intelligent façade are gathering momentum.

Obviously, façade design technology is advancing rapidly. It helps architects free their minds and enables façade design to develop from being simple and monotonous to diversified, complex, and modern.

Architectural envelopes market is mainly driven by the development of the global economy and building industry. Global economic growth promotes investment in fixed assets, and the construction demands of all kinds of public facilities, commercial buildings, and high-end residential buildings provide a foundation for the growth of global architectural envelopes markets.

From the distribution of global architectural envelopes markets, it can be seen that the U.S. and Europe are still the dominant players, combined market share accounting for about 50% in 2009.

In the meanwhile, the emerging countries represented by China and India are enjoying rapid growth of their architectural envelopes industry.

According to related statistics, China is the country with the most super high-rise buildings being constructed and planned in the world. The number of buildings in the country above 200 meters accounts for 48.5% of the total number of the buildings in the world. A large number of projects to be started in the future will demand much from the architectural envelopes industry.


It can be predicted that in the future, the U.S. and Europe will still take the lead in the design and application of architectural envelope products, and the developing countries of Asia (especially China), the Middle East, and other regions will be the main battlefield and driver of new products and application demands of the architectural envelopes globally.

Industry Challenges

The traditional building industry suffers serious productivity waste because of poor utilization of building materials, engineering rework, idling of labor, etc. According to related statistics, the value of the resources wasted in construction for a project accounts for as much as 25% of the total investment, largely wasted in façade design, fabrication, and installation.

For sustainable and healthy development of the architectural envelopes industry, it is required to analyze the reasons for the waste from the perspective of the full lifecycle of a façade fabrication, examine the challenges arising in the development of the architectural envelope industry, and grasp the opportunities of industry development.

Challenge of project management mode

Façade design (especially for complex curtain walls) is a highly professional engineering task requiring a distinguished appearance, technical functionality, and significant investment in installation planning. So, like structural design, plumbing design, and electrical design, a façade design requires special expertise.

Typically architects designing façades try to avoid a single manufacturer’s product so that the contractor can bid alternatives. This means that the architectural drawings are not coordinated with shop drawings from a manufacturer until construction has started and by that time much expert knowledge has been missed with several consequences:

1. the final design deliverables fail to embody the progress of façade technology and new products; and
2. the design scheme cannot meet the building energy performance requirements in an economical way.

For a close coordination between façade design and main building design, an independent third party as façade design consultants are important.

At the building schematic phase, the architects ask the façade design consultants for advice on their schematic design, so as to make possible the best building appearance; at the design development phase, the façade design consultants determines the system to-be-adopted, reserved room, etc. for the architectural envelope to provide more refined façade design drawings for façade contractors bidding.

The façade consultants should be able to produce a 3D model that incorporates the architect’s construction drawings and fabrication drawings.

Data breaking from design to manufacturing

Compared with the traditional building industry, façade design engineering is mostly based on custom manufacturing in plants. It is an industry formed from the close combination of building and industrial manufacturing. It is hoped that the accurate 3D model and 2D CAD drawings of a complex façade models can be completely sent to the numerical control cutting machines in plants.

However, due to lack of relevant cross-industry standard criteria, the data chain from façade design to manufacturing breaks, resulting in poor collaboration in problem solving, which seriously affects the industrialization of the architectural envelope industry.

Furthermore, because of the limited accuracy of many BIM software programs in parametric modeling of the components, 3D models cannot be directly applied to industrial fabrication. When an architect changes 3D models, the façade designer has to redevelop the detailed façade design and generate new fabrication drawings independently, thus causing a huge waste due to delay and rework.

Production and installation requirements of a complex curtain wall

Compared with traditional manufacturing, a façade panel has a higher degree of customization, which is reflected by not only different designs for different projects, but also different façade panels even in a project, so fast and flexible production is required as needed.

With the emergence of new materials and new technologies, and people’s constant pursuit of different building appearances, façade fabrication becomes bigger and bigger in size and increasingly complex in shape, accompanied by increasing of difficulties in field installation. In this case, if the delivery sequence and installation process are not well managed, the installation positions of façade panels may be confused, thus causing project delay and the waste of resources.

It is a pity that seamless connection of data for detailed façade design drawing, detailed joint fabrication technology, and field installation positioning (as well as realization of drawing-less and model-driven fabrication design which is a concept advocated in the machinery industry) is now beyond the capability for most BIM tools.

What we need is an accurate data integration environment incorporating building design, detailed joint design, and field installation together covering a series of management activities, including façade fabrication production, positioning, detection, cost estimation, and risk control.

MWH Global to Implement BIM on $1.6B Rehabilitation Contract in Florida

MWH Global, the premier solutions provider focused on water and natural resources, has been awarded a significant contract by the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department (MDWASD) to provide engineering design services for the comprehensive rehabilitation of three large wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Miami-Dade County, Florida, as part of the Department’s $1.6B consent decree program.

The three plants include the Central District WWTP - MDWASD’s oldest and largest asset with a treatment capacity of 143 million gallons per day (MGD), the North District WWTP, and the South District Wastewater Treatment Water Reclamation Plant, both with capacities of 112.5 MGD. Combined, these three facilities play a major role in providing clean water to the residents of Miami-Dade County.

MDWASD provides water and wastewater services to the 2.3 million people of Miami-Dade County. The department treats 300 million gallons of water per day and disposes of 315 million gallons of wastewater per day. In 2013, the County negotiated a Consent Decree with the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the United States Department of Justice, and the State of Florida Department of Environmental Protection to reduce sanitary sewer overflows, eliminate treated effluent limitation violations and ensure proper capacity, management, operation and maintenance (CMOM) practices. The Consent Decree consists of three major components: pump station improvements, CMOM, and improvements to the three regional wastewater treatment plants, totaling $1.6 Billion over the next 15 years.

The MWH project scope will include preparation of preliminary designs, final designs, and construction documents, as well as permitting and bid services and design services during construction at all three WWTPs, ensuring the project meets stringent deadlines, and is in full compliance with Consent Decree programs.

The rehabilitation of the three plants is complex in nature due to many equipment systems and structures in excess of 30 years old. Extensive use of laser reality capture is envisioned to efficiently produce accurate “as-built” representations of existing systems. For design, major facilities will employ 3D Building Information Modeling (BIM) with model development to Level 350 as defined by the BIM Forum Level of Development specifications.

Entering this project, MWH brings a strong track record of participation in the Community Business Enterprise (CBE) program, which seeks to partner with community business leadership to ensure that projects have positive impacts on the local economy and provide locally supportive project solutions. MWH is committed to meeting the 30% CBE goal on this project and has formed a team comprised of the best-qualified and most-respected local firms in Florida (many of whom MWH has worked with for over a decade). MWH is also committed to employing the local workforce and packaging projects to encourage local construction opportunities. This commitment will result in a long-lasting benefit to Miami-Dade’s business and local community through economic development, training, and mentoring.

“Our long-term presence in Miami-Dade and in-depth project experience throughout South Florida will allow MWH to be a partner in this work and we look forward to developing and implementing innovative solutions alongside the leadership at Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department,” said Marshall Davert, president for government and infrastructure in the Americas and Asia Pacific for MWH. “These projects will enable us to continue to provide efficient water and sewerage solutions to assist Miami-Dade in its EPA compliance.”

The complete rehabilitation of the wastewater treatment plants is expected to be completed by December 1st, 2019.

Hensel Phelps Adopts Aconex Solutions for the U.S. Federal Office Building

MIRAMAR, FL, January 22, 2015 – Aconex (ASX:ACX), provider of a leading cloud collaboration platform for the global construction industry, today announced that Hensel Phelps has selected Aconex to streamline  data collection for handover on the U.S. Federal Office Building project in Miramar, Florida.

Founded in 1937, Hensel Phelps is one of the largest U.S. construction companies. As a general contractor, construction manager and design-builder, Hensel Phelps builds commercial, institutional, industrial, defense, and other specialty projects, with one of the strongest records for on-time delivery and cost-effective performance.

The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) selected Hensel Phelps as the design-builder for the 380,000-square-foot, US$160-million regional headquarters of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The new office building will consolidate local agency forces throughout South Florida. Building information management (BIM) technology was deployed to facilitate project team collaboration through the design and construction phases.

Digital Handover for 30% Time Savings

Hensel Phelps utilized Aconex Smart Manuals, which provides a collaborative digital handover solution for construction and engineering projects. Contractors can electronically capture, review and assemble the documentation required for operation and maintenance (O&M) of the built asset during the project and deliver it to the asset owner on practical completion.

The digital O&M manuals are stored in the secure cloud to ensure their safety in the event of a natural disaster or other unforeseen circumstances. The manuals’ unique “click, browse and search” interface makes O&M data immediately useful and relevant to facility managers, who also have the option to update the information.

For the U.S. Federal Office Building project, Hensel Phelps used Aconex Smart Manuals to deliver digital O&M manuals that included all BIM data.  

“After a thorough four-month evaluation, only Aconex met the detailed handover requirements of our client for BIM and facility management,” said Derek Hoffine. “With Aconex Smart Manuals, we reduced the number of hours to import all of the project data for O&M manuals by at least 30%. We were processing up to 1,000 documents a day, which would have taken weeks to manage manually. Smart Manuals is a simple, out-of-the box solution that doesn’t require users to learn sophisticated hardware or software.”

For more information on Aconex Smart Manuals, please see http://www.aconex.com/operation-and-maintenance-manual.

“We’re pleased that Hensel Phelps chose Aconex Smart Manuals for the U.S. Federal Office Building project,” said Frank Kopas, general manager of the Americas at Aconex. “This solution is a critical element of end-to-end collaboration for information and process management throughout the project lifecycle – from design to construction to handover to operations.”

Choosing the Right Data Capture Tool for BIM

With the rise in demand for fast and accurate 3D construction information, laser scanning has become invaluable to many building information modeling (BIM) projects. Scanning a construction project provides a myriad of benefits, such as saving time, lowering the amount of office work, and preventing change orders. A 3D as-built scan of a project allows architects, engineers, and contractors to plan with an accurate representation of the existing structure.

However, a dedicated laser scanner might not always be the best tool for the job. Sometimes all you need is the ability to capture individual as-built discrete points with a total station to validate existing conditions on CAD drawings. Other times you might need the versatility to replicate highly accurate BIM layout points in the field and as-built discrete points as well as capture as-built point cloud data on specific areas of a project.

Central Park Penthouse

Members of the Bradford Construction team (l to r): Arsenia Palacios, Catherine Yang, Sandra Wilkin, Barbara McDermott, and Christine Rage.

At Bradford Construction, we go into a space and evaluate the site conditions and client needs, and then we use the appropriate hardware and software to deliver the most valuable, precise information as quickly as possible. When we were contracted to as-built a Central Park West penthouse, we used a Leica 1200 total station to measure the space in 3D. We then used the measurements in preparation for a series of 2D plans and elevation drawings.

While ultimately a 3D measurement model was not required, using a 3D method to measure the space greatly simplified and accelerated the deliverables’ preparation process and enabled delivery of accurate 2D floor plans.  With a total station, you are essentially “drafting as you measure.”

In a single day, the Bradford team was able to as-built two floors covering 19,000 square feet. We captured walls, columns, windows, doors, stairs, and terraces across both floors. We left the field with 70%-completed base plan drawings and produced a real-time 3D CAD model that consisted of both polylines and surfaces of both floors.

Our work allowed the architect to review the drawings and get a two-week lead time on designing the space. The architectural team could then design and engineer over a model that was a hyper-accurate representation of the existing conditions. Our as-builts also allowed them to avoid delay by identifying conflicts, thus preventing cost overruns and eliminating the need for rework.

CUNY Research Campus

We also worked on the City University of New York (CUNY) Advanced Science Research Campus that will be home to two science buildings of approximately 200,000 square feet, connected by a shared ground floor that houses mechanical and electrical equipment, a vivarium (a housing for plants and animals for research), and vibration-sensitive imaging technology. Built at a cost of approximately $700 million, the campus will provide state-of-the-art laboratory facilities for the university community, housing research in nano-science, photonics, structural biology, neuroscience, and water and environmental remote sensing.

Bradford Construction’s scan to BIM department was contracted by a specialty metal fabricator tasked with creating and installing an elaborate, open central stairway that connects the five research initiatives housed on separate floors.

For this job, we used the Leica Nova MS50 MultiStation, a total station with an integrated laser scanner and camera. Bradford performed 3D as-built measurements of all the recently constructed, highly complicated slab edges on six floors of both of the new buildings. We measured to CAD and then aligned the designer/engineering intent backgrounds to reveal any differences between reality and the proposed design so that the stairs and railings could be manufactured one time to fit.

We used the MS50 on this project because it allowed us to use three methods of measurement simultaneously. We used the total station feature of the instrument to provide the concrete company with topographic drawings of the concrete curbs that they installed. With the scanning feature, we scanned the existing steel to help design the stair railings. The point clouds allowed us to document the entire shape and structure of the existing steel and produce a 3D model. We then turned this model over to the steel company, which was able to design a stair railing to fit with the model.

Additionally, using both the scanning and total station capabilities of the MS50, we were able to produce a deviation study that showed the difference between the reality and the design intent on the existing staircases and the edge of concrete slabs.

We ultimately produced a series of 2D CAD plans and 3D models that were used by the general contractor and the specialty metal contractor for coordination. Our scan-to-BIM services made it possible to compare the design, engineering intent, and shop drawings with an accurate representation of the existing structures. Our plans and models validated the accuracy of the construction completed to date, revealing conflicts, which allowed the contractors to adapt. As a result, they were able to re-engineer and avoid re-manufacturing any of the key stairway components, preventing cost overruns, rework, and delay.

Bradford’s unique technology paired with multi-station functionality enables us to have a full version of AutoCAD in the field at all times. The MS50 enabled us to produce the drawings directly from the field instead of stitching together the cloud points back in the office, which accelerated our turnaround time on the project.

Each site must be assessed individually to determine which technology is best to complete the job in the most efficient manner. The client’s needs and the current conditions of the site should all be taken into account. Once the proper course of action is identified, the team’s expertise and talent pairs with a toolkit of modernized technology for a winning combination on construction projects.

Cities / Let BIM unite standardisers and innovators

Freed from an obsession with standardisation for efficiency, building information modelling (BIM) enables radical innovation. But differences of opinion in the industry are handicapping its potential.

There are two camps in the BIM debate: those who believe the tool should be used to enable a standardised design process and those who believe it should be used to enable radical innovation. It’s time for the two BIM camps to start working together again – because when they don’t get along, they obstruct each other.

The standardisers love structure and protocol. Infrastructure UK, the owner of government assets, is in this camp. It has identified BIM as a methodology that can help deliver the huge savings they have to find while still meeting the needs of the nation. I know many of my Arup colleagues working on infrastructure projects also share this aspiration for BIM, as do the professional institutions.

The innovators include bodies such as the UK government’s Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Singaporean government. And many of my building design colleagues are in this camp too. They are interested in the potential the tool offers for radical innovation. BIM makes it possible for them to test their design intent virtually – enabling them to push the boundaries further than they otherwise could.

The standardisers often argue that BIM is the only opportunity we have to impose structure on an unstructured industry. Imagine you’re designing a school building and a bridge and that the two designs use a steel beam. Standardisers would argue that you need a rigid classification so you can compare things like the relative cost or carbon footprint of the beams.

But agreeing any industry-wide classification is a monstrously difficult task and is unnecessary when computation can do the same thing with unstructured data. I agree with RIBA Enterprises’ chief executive Richard Waterhouse, who said that classifications are for humans, not machines.

Unlike the standardisers, the innovators want to be free to develop new definitions and new measurements all the time, because this will lead to new solutions. For example, if you were to measure all buildings only by cost then they would all look pretty similar. Whereas if you measure them by, say cost and carbon, their form is likely to change substantially: think of Stanford’s Energy & Environment building for example, and compare it with a contemporary spec’ office building.

By imposing a single way of doing things through BIM you risk stifling innovation. You risk becoming more efficient at something that is less and less relevant to society and its needs.

That would be a shame because, to date, BIM has certainly enabled the industry to do things that would have been impractical before. For example, BIM is behind the Water Cube of the Beijing Olympics which arguably couldn’t have been created without it and even enabled digital ‘post-occupancy’ evaluation pre-construction at Admiralty Station in Hong Kong.

What’s the answer? I believe that both camps should be patient, inclusive and co-operative. They should look for synergies. And they should respect and promote each other’s practice, as the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Conversely, I believe that focussing on one or the other view might mean the naysayers that don’t want the status quo to change will get their way.

RICS to host BIM4SME Awards 2015

RICS has raised awareness of how BIM can help UK industry lead the world in innovation and cross-industry collaboration. We support members and non-members alike with knowledge, training and guidance that helps them adopt and implement BIM.

Small and medium-sized businesses are critical to the success of Level 2 BIM in the UK. They are the engine room of our sector and deserve more recognition for their efforts to adopt and implement BIM in their projects.

The RICS BIM4SME Awards 2015 recognise and promote their role and achievements in the UK's adoption of BIM. These awards will spread awareness, promote best practice and highlight the tremendous opportunities BIM presents to small and medium businesses.

• The RICS BIM4SME Awards will be launched at the RICS BIM Conference on 12 February 2015 - you, your firm or your project team can enter from this date on
• The ceremony itself takes place on 18 June 2015 in London.

Award categories

There are eight award categories:

• Best BIM Project – Medium Enterprise
• Best BIM Project – Small or Micro Enterprise
• Best SME BIM Blog
• Best SME BIM website
• Best SME Newcomer
• Best SME Innovation
• Best SME Training Strategy
• Best SME Engagement and Support Programme

 If you'd like to find out more, sponsor the awards or express interest for entering please contact Ana Bajri, London Member Services Manager, RICS.

The future of AEC industry depends on BIM!

The future of AEC industry depends on BIM!As BIM is growing at a constant pace it is mandatory for design and construction professionalsto implement this technology in every possible project as it will only have positive effects on itsexecution. When Building Information Modeling first made its presence in Architecture,Engineering and Construction industry it was in the initial stages of its evolution. It’s beendecades now and BIM technology has grown manifolds since then. When it is implemented in a project its benefits are felt by every building stakeholder be it architects, engineers, contractors,design consultants, fabricators and building owners etc. None of them can survive in AECindustry without the assistance of BIM today.

BIM technology is tremendously beneficial for architects who take the responsibility ofdesigning architecture for a building. Designing the architecture is one of the most importantsteps in building construction and it must be designed appropriately so that building can performeffectively once it is developed in real world. Revit Architecture works as a magic wand forarchitects as too many effective tools are integrated in it and are paramount for architecturalmodeling process. Architectural design is developed with a collaborative design approach thathas tremendous benefits for the project as correct information is included in it. Due tocollaborative design approach innovative design is developed by AEC professionals as everydesign members’ ideas and creativity is combined together to from the design.

Similarly BIM Services is also helpful for developing structural and MEP design. Both structureand MEP are important building discipline and without their proper designing a building projectcannot be accomplished. So Revit Structure and Revit MEP are used by design professionals fordeveloping the design of these crucial building disciplines. Like Revit architecture Revitstructure and Revit MEP are also equipped with significant tools.

Once design is properly developed errors in the design can also be identified and for that clashdetection process is executed. BIM goes beyond design and construction by helping facilitymanagers and building owners in maintenance task.

The constant evolution of BIM so far indicates that the technology may grow even beyond ourimagination and future of AEC industry truly depends on it