Cast curtain wall unit for assembling a cast curtain wall and cast curtain wall assembled from the same
View Patent ↗A curtain wall unit includes a frame composed of a casting material, which define at least one infill area for receiving and retaining an infill element, and a connector assembly operatively engaged to the frame for attaching the frame to a standing structure. A method of making the curtain wall unit and a curtain wall assembled from the same is also described.
1. A curtain wall unit, comprising:
a frame comprised of an exterior casting and an interior casting and a spacer unit disposed therebetween, each of said exterior and interior castings and spacer unit having respective top and bottom surfaces and front and rear faces, and retaining means associated with the front and rear faces of the spacer unit for fixedly engaging the exterior and interior castings solely along their respective rear and front faces;
said frame defining at least one infill area for receiving and retaining an infill element; and
a connector assembly operatively engaged to the frame for secure attachment of the frame to a standing structure.
2. The curtain wall unit of claim 1 wherein the retaining means comprises a plurality of dowels.
3. The curtain wall unit of claim 1 wherein the spacer unit is composed of a material of low thermal conductivity.
4. The curtain wall unit of claim 1 further comprising a tensile strength element for enhancing the tensile strength of the exterior and interior castings.
5. The curtain wall unit of claim 4 wherein the tensile strength element is passive.
6. The curtain wall unit of claim 4 wherein the tensile strength element is pre-tensioned.
7. The curtain wall unit of claim 4 wherein the tensile strength element is post-tensioned.
8. The curtain wall unit of claim 4 wherein the tensile strength element is a metal bar extending along a peripheral edge of the external casting and internal casting.
9. The curtain wall unit of claim 4 wherein the tensile strength element is a metal bar embedded along the length of the external casting or internal casting.
10. The curtain wall unit of claim 1 wherein said exterior and interior castings are made of a cold setting casting material.
11. The curtain wall unit of claim 10 wherein said casting material is cement-based concrete material.
12. The curtain wall unit of claim 11 wherein the cement-based concrete material is fiber reinforced.
13. The curtain wall unit of claim 12 wherein the fiber reinforced cement-based composite material is ultra-high performance concrete.
14. The curtain wall unit of claim 10 wherein the casting material comprises:
a compressive strength of at least 140 MPa;
a tensile strength of at least 5 MPa; and
Young's modulus of elasticity of at least 45 GPa.
15. The curtain wall unit of claim 1 wherein the exterior casting comprises an element selected from the group consisting of sunshades, reflectors, louvers, ornamental components, decorative screens, opaque panels, and combinations thereof.
16. The curtain wall unit of claim 1 further comprising:
an infill element retained in a corresponding infill area of the frame.
17. The curtain wall unit of claim 16 wherein the infill element is selected from the group consisting of glass, fabrics, stones, metals, louvers, vents solar energy collector panels and combinations thereof.
18. The curtain wall unit of claim 17 wherein the infill element is a solar energy collector panel.
19. The curtain wall unit of claim 18 wherein the solar energy collector panel comprises:
a housing having a light conveying cover; and
a tubing assembly disposed within the housing proximate the light conveying cover, said tubing assembly comprising an input, an output and a heating transfer tubing carrying a heat transfer fluid between the input and the output.
20. A curtain wall comprising a plurality of curtain wall units of claim 1 .