31 Unitised facades –
How to apply modern methods of construction to the building envelope
Jon Palethorpe, commercial director of aluminium facade specialist Wicona, offers some practical advice to architects considering using unitised curtain walling solutions
of moving elements of the construction process into a con- trolled factory environment. The build process can be sped up, quality is improved and work on-site is significantly safer. Unitised facades are designed to maximise the benefits of
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building off-site and allow modern methods of construction to be applied to the external envelope. These solutions offer a host of advantages: • Programme times can be reduced by up to 70 per cent for earlier fitting out and completion
• Scaffolding can be eliminated, improving site safety • There is greater quality control because the units are com- pleted off-site in a controlled factory environment
• There are cost savings on site preliminaries and scaffolding • Unitised facades allow constrained city centre sites to be developed, maximising the building footprint
• Unitised facades are more adaptable to building movement
How the approach works Unitised facades consist of prefabricated units, which are typically one or two storeys high and of varying widths. The panels are fully glazed and sealed off-site, with gaskets and glazing beads pre-installed in factory-controlled conditions instead of on-site. The complete units are then moved to site for fast and easy installation. The approach can be used for technically challenging
projects, as well as fast track schemes, new build and refurbish- ment, and new designs can be developed for more complex and bespoke facades. Unitised facades do not dictate uniformity – in fact an
infinite range of design variations is possible within the facade structure, with a mix of panel sizes, colours and materials.
© Zander Olsen-Make Conventional cladding can also be eliminated because the
unitised panels can hold composite stone and cedar, for example, as well as glass.
The design process
Working with unitised facades is very different to conventional ‘stick’ curtain walling and requires a change of approach. For a successful project, which maximises the benefits of unitised curtain walling, it is critical that a building is designed around the facade and not vice versa. The facade specialist should be involved at the earliest
stage to design the building structure that will best accommo- date the unitised facade, the required loadings and its allowable tolerances. And the project ideally needs to be sufficiently large in scale
for maximum cost efficiency. Facade projects in excess of 3,000 sq m will achieve the best economies of scale, but smaller fast track schemes or developments on sites where access is restricted, can also be accommodated with a unitised system.
Continued overleaf... respond online at
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‘Unitised facades do not dictate uniformity – in fact an infinite range of design variations is possible within the facade structure, with a mix of panel sizes, colours and materials’
ff-site construction is revolutionising the way build- ings are built. More developers, architects and con- tractors than ever before are recognising the benefits
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