There is perhaps no building element that typifies contemporary architecture more than the curtain wall. Lightweight and flexible, these glazed assemblies not only allow more usable floor space within a building, but also epitomize...

Each year, curtain walls continue to soar higher, form angles that are more challenging, and push the building envelope closer to total transparency. A case in point is the Toronto Transit Commission’s (TTC’s) Vaughan...

For decades, fire-rated glass meant one thing—small, wired-glass lites. Common throughout Canada, these installations are usually windows within doors, or narrow sidelights or transoms. The crisscross wires give this glass a distinctive institutional appearance,...


Adoption of the North American Fenestration Standard (NAFS) has resulted in big changes in the fenestration industry. However, does this signal changes for exterior wall materials, as well? Extruded aluminum—aluminum alloy which has been...