The curtain wall system, also known as a light façade, can be defined as the self-supporting external envelope made up of linear elements, joined together and anchored to the main structure of the building. The objective is to provide the façade with the usual requirements of an external enclosure through panel-type filling elements; practicable or fixed, but without contributing to supporting the structural loads of the building.
The components of a light façade are as follows:
- Structural elements
- Filling elements; practicable or fixed
Light facades, or curtain walls, are generally designed in a grid shape, so their structural elements can be divided into vertical and horizontal elements, commonly called mullions and crossbeams respectively.
Normally, the uprights that are fixed by anchors to the structure of the building are designed to support their own weight, the actions transmitted to them by the crossbeams and the rest of the elements that are fixed to them and the loads that affect the façade: mainly wind (suction and pressure), earthquake, impacts, etc.
The choice of the upright and crossbeam, therefore, depends mainly on the type of load to be supported as well as the design and assembly criteria when executing the façade.
Riventi systems for light façades are made of aluminium and are mainly divided into two groups according to their construction configuration:
STICK SYSTEMThese curtain wall systems are the most traditional and are composed of the juxtaposition of profiles, uprights and crossbars, generally forming a framework. Their design allows the incorporation of opaque, semi-transparent or transparent panels. Transport and assembly on site is carried out individually for each component.
In turn, there are variants that differ from each other by the way the panels are fixed to the grid:
- Fixation with Tapeta, is the case of R50T system, by means of pressure-fitting covers, which fix the filling panel to an interior element. There are different morphological possibilities for this piece, which can be converted into different elements, both in the uprights and in the crossbars: Brise-soleil and partesoles.
Mechanical fixation by means of Staple in the glazing gap
- R50SG System: What characterizes this model is the direct fixing of the glazing to the profiles through a staple which holds the piece integrated into the spacer, without the need for a perimeter frame.