What Is a Curtain Wall? Types of Curtain Wall Systems & Uses
From stick and unitized systems to structural glazing (frameless) — which curtain wall system fits your project? A technical, price and execution comparison of the main curtain wall types by a team that has built all four.
A curtain wall is a lightweight outer skin that hangs independently of the building's main structure. It is assembled from aluminum profiles and double- or triple-glazed glass, and it transfers only its own weight and the wind loads acting on it back to the main structure — the facade protects the building without ever carrying it. This separation between skin and frame is precisely what allows modern towers to be fully glazed, and it is why the choice of curtain wall system has such a direct effect on cost, speed and long-term performance.
The stick system is the most widely used curtain wall system in Iran: the aluminum profiles are installed meter by meter on site and the glass is mounted afterwards. It suits projects with varied forms and medium-sized areas, where on-site flexibility matters more than speed. The unitized system works the other way around — complete panels are pre-assembled in the workshop and simply hung on the structure. Installation is dramatically faster, quality is controlled under factory conditions, and for large, repetitive projects and high-rise towers it is the ideal choice.
The frameless system — structural glazing, or SSG — hides the frames behind structural silicone and creates one continuous, all-glass surface; it is the signature language of luxury and vitrine facades. Finally, the double-skin facade adds a second outer skin with an air cavity between the two layers and improves the building's energy performance dramatically: in summer the cavity vents the heat out naturally, and in winter it acts as an extra thermal buffer.
So which system is right for you? The honest answer depends on the height and form of the building, the budget, the schedule you have to meet and the energy requirements of the project. At Namakaran Fakher Engineering Co., with 23 years of execution experience across all four systems, we make this choice transparent for you through value engineering — the right system for your project, not simply the most expensive one.