Things have change a lot since ancient times, and I’m not just talking about our lifestyle. Architecture and the way we build our structures have also changed to suit our new way of life. Modern living calls for modern buildings. In earlier times city centres were the hubs of business activity and the urban landscape was chock-a-block with commercial buildings.
These days we like to mix it up a little and many people think that living in commercial areas is the way forward. With work and home just a stone’s throw away and all your entertainment, shopping, culture and food options in close proximity it seems like the perfect place to lead a modern life.
By: Cliff
It’s not uncommon to see high rise commercial buildings snuggled against mixed use residential tower blocks. With living accommodation on the upper floors and entertainment complexes below it seems like the ideal solution to compact city living. The residents of the tower blocks are usually the same people who work in the commercial buildings around the corner. After all, who wouldn’t want to cut down their commute time by moving in next door!
Just as in past times the change in peoples’ lifestyles has also meant our buildings look different too, especially commercial buildings and residential tower blocks. But the question is which design element works for which building?
Window walls
A ‘window wall’ is a factory glazed window (and door) unit that is installed between the floor slabs of multi storey buildings. If the floor slab edges are then covered on the exterior with aluminium slab covers the window wall then takes on the appearance of a ‘curtain wall’.
Window walling sits between the floor slabs on the outer edge of a building. Put simply it’s just like a curtain wall but a window wall is broken at every floor slab.
Window walling is generally thought of as being the less expensive option by high rise residential owners and developers, which is why you’ll usually see it used in large residential high rise projects.
A ‘curtain wall’ is an outer covering of a building that is designed to simply keep out the weather, rather than be a structural element. This means that the materials used can be lightweight, and therefore reduce construction costs. When glass is used it increases the amount of natural light that can penetrate into the building.
Curtain wall is typically used for commercial buildings as it sits outside the slab itself, meaning you get less infringement on the space inside. In property terms this means you have more rentable space within the building. As commercial properties are usually rented by the square foot, curtain walling is the most cost effective option for developers.
As residential properties are usually rented by the unit rather than by the square foot it doesn’t matter that the window wall is inside the building. Therefore it has proven to be the more popular choice with residential developers.
Rob Rudd is a professional writer and regularly writes guest posts for the construction and building industry.
