A research project: curtain wall system with wooden load-bearing structure and glass infill panels

The architectural envelope is nowadays one of the most important sector in building industry, in terms of technological innovation and design experimentation. The performance of the envelope is essential to reduce the environmental impact of the building, like energy consumption and greenhouse emissions. At the same moment, wood seems to be one of the most considered material for constructions, both for structures and envelopes, even in geographic areas where it was historically not used. Good mechanical properties, good thermal and acoustic insulation, easiness to be worked, a positive and eco-friendly message, all these aspects make wood a very appreciated material in contemporary architecture. University Iuav of Venice, after a deep analysis of all these aspects, decided to develop a specific research project in collaboration with Simco Tecnocovering (nowadays Simeon S.r.l.), an Italian company specialized in architectural envelope: to design and produce a prototype of an innovative curtain walls entirely made with wooden load-bearing structure and glass infill panels; a façade system that, as a market survey showed, was almost absent. The developing of the research took one year and was financed by the Veneto Region. The paper presents the final results of the research, underlining the problems observed and the solutions that have been found.