Industries
Vision Engineering & Design Inc. understands the building science and glazing industries. This ensures our reports provide a practical perspective to industry problems.
Building Science
Building Science is the application of scientific principles to the design and investigation of buildings - particularly the building façade. It involves the control of air, moisture, heat, radiation and sound through the façade as well as all the materials associated with their construction. Building Science also includes the roofs and footings of a building but these are not areas that VEDI is involved.Curtain Walls
A curtain wall is an exterior wall that is hung on the outside edge of building floors. The curtain wall carries horizontal loads but only carries its own weight vertically. Connections to the building floors need to accommodate all building movements due to building sway and vertical deflections or creep. Curtain walls can be assembled on site (stick systems) or assembled and glazed in panels in a factory and interlocked together on site (unitized systems). Window walls are slightly different to curtain walls as the main members typically sit on top of the building floor and only the cladding carries through. There are typically significant practical differences between a curtain wall and a window wall and these differences must be understood by architects and building owners.Windows
Windows come in many types or designs and can be used on single family residences as well as high rise buildings. Windows are typically fixed to the building structure either at their jambs or at the head and sills. Windows typically include operable sash which can also come in a variety of types and designs.Commercial Greehouses
Commercial greenhouses are used to grow flowers, seedlings as well as certain fruit and vegetables. They can be glazed with glass, rigid plastic sheets or flexible plastic film. Glass greenhouses typically use aluminum glazing bars. The main structure is typically structural steel although top end greenhouses can also use aluminum for the main frame.They can cover multiple hectares (acres) in size and represent a significant investment to farmers. As a result commercial greenhouse frames must be as inexpensive as possible and they may be designed to different standards than other forms of construction.
Glass Guards / Balustrades
Any part of a building that has an abrupt change in elevation of 600mm (2 feet) or more requires a protective barrier or guard. At a stairway or elevated walkway this is sometimes called a balustrade. Glass is often a good material for use in a guard and can also be used as the main structural material. However, the brittle nature of glass means that it must be specially designed so that any failure of the glass does not lead to catastrophic consequences.© 2005 by Vision Engineering & Design Inc.
