I have this curved steel beam that spans from the bottom of the facade to roof as shown in the picture attached. On this facade there is also a curtain wall. The beam runs along the top perimeter of the curtain wall.
Should the beam be in behind the curtain wall or on top of it?
I know this is a rookie question but I think that if it is placed behind the curtain wall, cold bridges can be eliminated due to the insulating capacity of the glazing.
In the picture it has been modelled to sit on top of the curtain wall.
As shown, the beam would indeed be a huge thermal bridge. Most curtain walls have the structure on the inside of the glazing, but exo-skeletons can work too. Draw a section through the structure and think about how you would minimize thermal bridging while maintaining structural integrity and constructability.
draw section detail as large as possible. maybe up to 1:1. build a model. thiis is real design im architecture. this detail may take many tries and hours but will be worth it.
both of the above posters are correct, but why do you have a steel beam in what is made to look like a concrete shell structure? If it is supporting the curtain wall, you definitely don't want to try to contour it to the concrete structure. If it is part of the building structure, it should work harmoniously.
You are asking the right questions as a student... just go farther. That building could be detailed in both steel or concrete, or a hybrid system - but you should be intentional about it... as is, it doesn't appear to be considered.
you are asking about the beam with regards to the structure of the building or re a support for the sash? I'm not sure if curtain wall is the term I would use in this situation, since its just two stories and hardly needs the expense or complication of a curtain wall system.
Curtain wall requires a slightly different thinking about the support structure, but if I were doing this I would imagine there was a metal connecting piece at the top and nothing else, and I would use a simple sash system, or custom fabricate something because of the curve.
According to the image the beam is the slab itself and would not need to be considered in relation to a sash this size except on aesthetic grounds. IE, it could be anywhere you like, visible or invisible (rotated to be inside the slab thickness, or a reverse beam if you need depth), as you like. The sash should fit into the system, but apart from wind loads there is not really much that is going to transfer to the concrete structure. In which case I think the question is how to detail the sash so that it does not visually interfere with the concrete shell structure.
If the rendering is misleading and this is a steel structure, basically the same deal. Beam has little to do with the sash unless you choose to make it that way. I wouldnt bother. The loads are so small you really only need some minor structure to hold the sash in place and can let the structure do its own thing. That way its easy to include insulation etc as well.
Oct 20, 16 7:52 pm ·
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Correct position for beam in relationship to curtain wall.
This is for a student project.
I have this curved steel beam that spans from the bottom of the facade to roof as shown in the picture attached. On this facade there is also a curtain wall. The beam runs along the top perimeter of the curtain wall.
Should the beam be in behind the curtain wall or on top of it?
I know this is a rookie question but I think that if it is placed behind the curtain wall, cold bridges can be eliminated due to the insulating capacity of the glazing.
In the picture it has been modelled to sit on top of the curtain wall.
As shown, the beam would indeed be a huge thermal bridge. Most curtain walls have the structure on the inside of the glazing, but exo-skeletons can work too. Draw a section through the structure and think about how you would minimize thermal bridging while maintaining structural integrity and constructability.
draw section detail as large as possible. maybe up to 1:1. build a model. thiis is real design im architecture. this detail may take many tries and hours but will be worth it.
both of the above posters are correct, but why do you have a steel beam in what is made to look like a concrete shell structure? If it is supporting the curtain wall, you definitely don't want to try to contour it to the concrete structure. If it is part of the building structure, it should work harmoniously.
You are asking the right questions as a student... just go farther. That building could be detailed in both steel or concrete, or a hybrid system - but you should be intentional about it... as is, it doesn't appear to be considered.
you are asking about the beam with regards to the structure of the building or re a support for the sash? I'm not sure if curtain wall is the term I would use in this situation, since its just two stories and hardly needs the expense or complication of a curtain wall system.
Curtain wall requires a slightly different thinking about the support structure, but if I were doing this I would imagine there was a metal connecting piece at the top and nothing else, and I would use a simple sash system, or custom fabricate something because of the curve.
According to the image the beam is the slab itself and would not need to be considered in relation to a sash this size except on aesthetic grounds. IE, it could be anywhere you like, visible or invisible (rotated to be inside the slab thickness, or a reverse beam if you need depth), as you like. The sash should fit into the system, but apart from wind loads there is not really much that is going to transfer to the concrete structure. In which case I think the question is how to detail the sash so that it does not visually interfere with the concrete shell structure.
If the rendering is misleading and this is a steel structure, basically the same deal. Beam has little to do with the sash unless you choose to make it that way. I wouldnt bother. The loads are so small you really only need some minor structure to hold the sash in place and can let the structure do its own thing. That way its easy to include insulation etc as well.
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