Structural Glazing vs Curtain Wall, Explained
The Look That Causes the Confusion
A specifier sees two towers in Airport City — one with crisp horizontal and vertical lines across the glass, one that reads as an almost seamless sheet of glass — and asks whether they are different systems. They are, but perhaps not in the way it appears. Both can be curtain walls. The difference is how the glass is held. Facade Ghana has engineered both across Ghana since 1982, and getting the distinction right at design stage saves a great deal of cost and disappointment later.
What Each One Actually Is
Conventional (capped) curtain wall
The glass is retained by aluminium pressure plates and capping that read as lines on the façade. It is simpler to detail, easier to re-glaze and maintain, and lower-priced — the workhorse glazed façade. See the façade systems compared overview for where it fits.
Structural glazing
The glass is bonded to the frame with structural silicone instead of held by visible caps. From outside, the façade reads as an almost frameless sheet of glass. It delivers the flush, high-end appearance specifiers ask for on prime corporate buildings, hotels and bank headquarters. Our structural glazing work is engineered to AAMA structural-silicone guidance — the bond is a structural element, not a decorative one.
A Crucial Clarification: System vs Glazing Method
The most common confusion is treating “structural glazing” and “curtain wall” as opposites. They are not on the same axis.
- Curtain wall describes the system — a glazed, framed outer skin hung on the building.
- Structural glazing vs capped describes the glazing method — how the glass meets the frame.
A structural-glazed wall is still a curtain wall. And it can be built as either a stick or a unitised system. So a real specification answers two questions, not one: which system, and which glazing method.
When Each Is the Right Call
Choose capped when
The building needs a robust, maintainable glazed skin at a sensible price, and the architect is comfortable with visible cap lines. It re-glazes easily, which matters over a twenty-year life.
Choose structural glazing when
The architecture demands a flush, frameless face — a corporate HQ, a flagship hotel, a banking hall that has to read as a single plane of glass. The silicone bond and the engineering behind it carry a premium, and it deserves the performance testing to prove the bond and the wall perform.
The Honest Cost Difference
Structural glazing is higher-priced than a capped curtain wall — the silicone engineering, the tighter tolerances and the finish discipline all cost more. It is not waste; it buys a frameless look that a capped wall simply cannot give. Where budget is the binding constraint, a capped wall is the honest answer, and we will say so. Both sit inside the broader Ghana ranges — see the Curtain Wall Cost Guide — with the firm figure confirmed on survey.
Decide It at Design Stage
The cheapest time to get this right is before fabrication. We help project teams settle system and glazing method against the building’s real aesthetic, performance and budget. Call +233 27 000 0844 to talk it through, or book a survey.