Contemporary Curtain Wall Architecture

Recent years have seen a rapidly growing interest among contemporary architects in the use of curtain walls to create innovative, attention-grabbing building facades. With new concerns about the environment and affordable envelopes, the curtain wall represents a microcosm of issues important to architecture: climate responsiveness and energy use, intelligent utilization of resources, and advancements in digital design and fabrication. In Contemporary Curtain Wall Architecture, architect and building technology expert Scott Murray presents an exhaustive taxonomy of the materials and techniques necessary for the design, fabrication, and installation of today´s curtain wall systems. Murray presents a history of curtain wall design from the early skeleton-frame structures of the late-nineteenth century to the complex configurations of mullions, infill panels, and adhesives of today.