What to Consider When Choosing a Structural Glass Wall System

In the building enclosure industry, a structural glass wall is mostly transparent and can be designed with minimal structural elements, except for the glass. A more modern alternative to curtainwalls, structural glass walls eliminate continuous glass supports, greatly decreasing the visual sightlines within the system. When considering a structural glass wall system, it is crucial to identify the type of support system: dead loaded, tensile or suspended, and how the system will interact with and impact the building structure

Structural glass walls that are dead loaded typically have the least impact on the building structure. In this case, the load of the system is transferred to the base of the system, which is supported by a structural concrete footing or slab. Similar to a dead-loaded, high span curtainwall, the structure at the top connections of this design will need to accommodate mostly wind load anchor connection reactions. These systems are often more economical than alternative support systems but aren’t without limitations.