Two Ways to Build the Same Glazed Wall

Stick and unitised are the two ways a glazed curtain wall is built. They can carry the same glass and reach the same performance class, but they are made in opposite directions — one assembled piece by piece on the building, the other delivered as complete panels and hung. The choice changes how fast the building closes in, how much external access it needs, and where each fits best.

Facade Ghana has built both systems across Ghana since 1982. This guide explains how each is made and how to choose between them.

Stick-Built Curtain Wall — Assembled On the Building

A stick (stick-built) curtain wall is assembled in place, on the structure, from individual components — the “sticks” being the aluminium mullions and transoms.

How It Is Built

Mullions and transoms are fixed to the floor slabs and structure, forming the grid.
Glass and infill panels are then glazed into that grid from outside, usually off scaffold, a mast climber or a cradle.
Gaskets, pressure plates and caps seal and retain each panel as it goes in.

Because it is built up on site, a stick system is flexible on irregular elevations and forgiving of site tolerances. It is the lower-priced way into a curtain wall. The trade-offs are that it is slower, and it needs external access for the full height of the façade. See Stick-Built Curtain Wall.

Best Height and Use

Low-to-mid-rise buildings
Irregular or one-off elevations where panelising is uneconomic
Projects where budget matters more than programme speed
Sites where external scaffold or a cradle is straightforward to provide

Unitised Curtain Wall — Built In the Factory, Hung On the Building

A unitised curtain wall is built the opposite way. Storey-height panels are fabricated and glazed in a controlled factory, delivered complete, and hung on the building so each panel interlocks with the next.

How It Is Built

Storey-height frames are assembled and glazed in the factory under controlled conditions.
Panels are delivered complete and craned to each floor, then hooked onto pre-set brackets.
Each panel’s interlocking male/female edges mate with its neighbours, forming the continuous sealed line as the building rises.

Factory glazing gives more consistent, controlled quality, and site work is fast and needs little external access — which is why unitised dominates on high-rise towers. The trade-offs are a higher up-front cost and a fabrication lead time before anything reaches site. See Unitised Curtain Wall.

Best Height and Use

High-rise towers
Fast, tight programmes where speed of enclosure drives the schedule
Constrained urban sites where external scaffold is difficult
Buildings wanting factory-controlled, repeatable quality

Stick vs Unitised — Side by Side

	Stick-built	Unitised
Where it is built	On the building, piece by piece	In the factory, as panels
Site speed	Slower	Fast
External access	Needs scaffold/cradle full height	Little external access
Quality control	Site-dependent	Factory-controlled, consistent
Up-front cost	Lower-priced	Higher; fabrication lead time
Best for	Low-to-mid-rise, irregular elevations	High-rise towers, fast programmes

(Both can carry the same glass and reach the same performance class — see Façade Performance Testing. The system is the build method, not the glass.)

Performance Is the Same Question for Both

Whether stick or unitised, the façade is engineered and tested against the same standards — air leakage to ASTM E283, water penetration to ASTM E331, structural wind load to ASTM E330, field and inter-storey-drift testing to the AAMA 501 family, and fabrication to EN 1090 execution discipline. A unitised panel is not automatically better-performing than a well-detailed stick wall; it is the engineering and the testing, not the build method alone, that decide whether the wall meets its class.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is unitised always better than stick? No. Unitised is faster on site, needs little external access and gives factory-consistent quality, which makes it the standard for high-rise towers — but it costs more up front and carries a fabrication lead time. A well-detailed stick wall reaches the same performance class at a lower price and is more flexible on irregular elevations. The right system depends on the building’s height, programme and budget.

Which is faster to install? Unitised. Complete panels are craned in and hooked on floor by floor with little external work, so a tower closes in quickly. A stick wall is built up component by component from external access, which is slower over the full height.

Can a stick wall reach the same performance as unitised? Yes, when it is properly engineered and tested. Both systems are verified against the same ASTM and AAMA methods. Performance comes from the engineering of the frame, gaskets, drainage and fixings — not from the build method by itself.

Talk to the Façade Team

The stick-or-unitised decision is best made early, against the building’s real height, programme and access. Facade Ghana provides a free survey, recommends the system that fits, and prices it honestly. Call +233 27 000 0844 to book your survey.