Curtain wall vs storefront system - terminology

[cbt990]

Hi guys,

In revit, a storefront wall is a special type of curtain system.

Is this also technically true in reality? Or is it a subject for debate. 

It seems to me that the revit categorization matches the conceptual ontology.

[ToanDN]

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@cbt990 wrote:

Hi guys,

In revit, a storefront wall is a special type of curtain system.

Is this also technically true in reality? Or is it a subject for debate. 

It seems to me that the revit categorization matches the conceptual ontology.

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Curtain wall is a tool to model curtain walls, storefronts, fences, railing, and almost anything with divisions and/or repetition.

If you want to classify them differently, aside from use different type names, you can assign different Assembly Codes:

B2020200 - Curtain Walls

B2020300 - Storefronts

[hmunsell]

Its just a name defining different settings. They are all still "Curtain Walls".

The store front is the only one though that has the Panel set to Glazing and has Mullions applied. the other 2 "default options" are set to None. That said, a "Panel" can be any Basic Wall Type though. 

[Mike.FORM]

Storefront systems and curtain wall systems are different in reality.

Storefronts direct all water through the vertical mullions down to the sill where they weep. They usually do not exceed 10ft in height as the taller the system the more water is directed to  the sill and the system can be overflowed.

Curtain walls weep below every panel and thus can be much higher as they do not get overflowed.

Essentially, Storefronts are sued at ground level for building entrances and glazing. Curtain walls are used for extensive glazing systems that can often span multiple floors. Curtain walls can be used in place of storefronts, but you can't use storefronts in all situations you use curtain walls.

[hmunsell]

@Mike.FORM; Interesting, I hadn't heard it explained like that before....  So, in the real world, would/could a "storefront" have Horizontal Mullions then?

[Mike.FORM]

Storefronts can have as many horizontals as you want but the water will be directed inside the mullions to the verticals and then down to the sill where it drains. This is one reason why the heights are limited to around 10ft so as to reduce the water that can get into a system.

In Canada (where I am) we need to pay attention to this quite a bit as if there is too much water running through the framing and temperatures are around the freezing mark it can cause ice damming and ruin the system. 

We either switch to curtain wall systems or add force flow heaters at entrances to make sure the warm side is regulated well.

[ToanDN]

Sure curtain walls and storefronts are different in many aspects but I think @cbt990 question is why Revit shows Storefronts under Curtain Walls family.

[Mike.FORM]

OP does ask if there is a difference in reality so I was giving some background on the differences.

I do agree though It doesn't really matter in Revit as it is just a name given to the type and the types are controlled by the users.

Where it really matters is what is in the spec as there are differences and limitations between the 2 systems.