Curtain wall units are an important building block of curtain walls.
The Concept of Curtain Wall Units
Curtain wall units can significantly reduce the complexity of the curtain wall design and, thereby, the necessary design time.
You can think of a curtain wall unit as a “mini” curtain wall itself, which can have frames, mullions and divisions, but is normally not a standalone building object. A curtain wall unit is used in the larger context of a curtain wall. You usually assign curtain wall units to specific cells within a curtain wall grid.
Curtain Wall Unit Styles
Curtain wall units are style-based, permitting maximum efficiency and flexibility. Curtain wall unit styles are created and edited independently from the curtain wall style. You can use a curtain wall unit style in different curtain wall styles. For example, you can create a decorative three-tiled panel as a curtain wall unit and use that for several curtain wall styles.
Curtain Wall Units and Door/Window Assemblies
Curtain wall units and door/window assemblies are very similar in their functionality. Both can contain nested grids and be anchored as building blocks in curtain walls. A curtain wall unit usually is not used as a standalone object, whereas a door/window assembly could be.
Curtain Wall Unit Grids
Like curtain walls, curtain wall units are made up of one or more grids. Each grid has either a horizontal division or a vertical division, but you can nest the grids to create a variety of patterns.
Using curtain wall units in a curtain wall can Help you limit the complexity in the curtain wall design.
Elements of Grids
Grids are the foundation of curtain walls and curtain wall units. Every grid has four element types:
- Divisions: Define the direction of the grid (horizontal or vertical) and the number of cells
- Cell Infills: Contain another grid, a panel infill, or an object such as a window or a door
- Frames: Define the edge around the outside of the primary grid and nested grids
- Mullions: Define the edges between the cells
Each element type is assigned a default definition that describes what elements of that type look like.
| Element type | Default definitions |
|---|---|
| Divisions | Horizontal grid with two manual divisions offset from the top and bottom of the grid |
| Cell Infills | Cells containing simple panels |
| Frames | Outer edges of grid 3" wide and 3" deep |
| Mullions | Edges between cells 1" wide and 3" deep |
Curtain wall units default element definitions
Getting Started with Curtain Wall Units
To get started with curtain wall units, draw a curtain wall unit. Try a variety of the existing curtain wall unit styles, find a style you like and make a copy of it. Then, modify the element definitions and assignments to suit your own needs.