The unitized curtain wall for a kilometer-scale skyscraper, designed and developed by the Buer Curtain Wall Company of China Construction Fifth Engineering Division, successfully underwent four physical performance tests at the Changsha Urban Construction Science Research Institute.

The unitized curtain wall for a kilometer-scale skyscraper is a key research project undertaken jointly by China Construction Fifth Engineering Division and the Changsha Urban Construction Science Research Institute. Among its components, the four physical performance tests of the curtain wall are the core research content of this project: based on the wind pressure calculated for an elevation of 1,000 meters, corresponding unitized test specimens were designed, and experiments were conducted to verify their four performance characteristics: watertightness, airtightness, wind load resistance, and in-plane deformation.

A curtain wall is the exterior enclosure of a building. It is non-load-bearing and is hung like a curtain, hence also called a suspended wall. It is a lightweight wall with decorative effects commonly used in modern large and high-rise buildings. It consists of a structural frame and infill panels and is a building enclosure that does not bear the loads and effects of the main structure.

    “The building curtain wall laboratory of the Changsha Urban Construction Science Research Institute is the largest and most fully equipped curtain wall laboratory in Hunan. In earlier years, curtain wall tests of this scale had to be sent to Guangdong.” According to a senior engineer at the Changsha Urban Construction Science Research Institute, in this test, the watertightness, airtightness, and in-plane deformation of the unitized curtain wall specimen all reached the highest levels of China's current building curtain wall standards, and during the destructive wind load resistance test, the wind load resistance of the unitized curtain wall specimen reached above Grade 7 of the national standard.

    At the same time, the tests revealed that the quality and strength of small hardware components used in curtain wall windows, such as latches and fixing screws, are particularly important in this type of curtain wall. The acquisition of these data also accumulated first-hand information for the design of unitized curtain walls for kilometer-scale skyscrapers.

    Because curtain walls are attractive, novel, and full of contemporary character, they are essential to shaping the skyline of a district and an entire city. At present, more and more high-rise and supertall buildings in China and abroad use curtain walls. The development and testing of unitized curtain walls for kilometer-scale skyscrapers are of extremely great significance to the development and progress of curtain walls for high-rise and supertall buildings in Changsha and throughout China.