Facade terms, in plain language.
The words that come up when a facade is specified, made and tested, from mullions and transoms to U-values and mock-ups, without the jargon.
65 terms
- ACPAluminium Composite Panel
- Two thin aluminium skins bonded to a lightweight core. The result is a flat, rigid, light panel that is widely used for cladding.
Fenza systemMetal & Composite Cladding →
- Air infiltration
- Air leaking in or out through the joints and seals of a facade. Keeping it low saves energy and keeps the building comfortable.
Learn moreHow facades are tested →
- AnchorBracket
- The metal fixing that ties a facade back to the building's floor slab or structure, carrying the facade's weight and the wind load into it.
Fenza systemCurtain Wall →
See alsoCurtain wallWind load
- Anodising
- An electrochemical process that thickens aluminium's natural oxide layer. It gives a hard, durable, corrosion-resistant surface that keeps the metal's own look.
- ASTM E283
- A standard test method that measures how much air leaks through a facade specimen under a set pressure difference.
Learn moreHow facades are tested →
See alsoAir infiltrationMock-up
- ASTM E330
- A standard test method for structural performance. A facade specimen is loaded with air pressure, simulating wind, to check it holds up and does not bend too far.
Learn moreHow facades are tested →
See alsoWind loadDeflectionMock-up
- ASTM E331
- A standard test method for water penetration. Water is sprayed on the outside of a facade specimen while air pressure is applied, to check that none gets through.
Learn moreHow facades are tested →
See alsoMock-upDrainage slot
- BalustradeRailing
- The barrier along the edge of a balcony, terrace or stair. It can be glass panels, or posts and rails in aluminium.
Fenza systemRailings & Balustrades →
- Building envelope
- The outer shell of a building: walls, glazing, roof and openings. It separates inside from outside. Fenza works on the facade part of it.
See alsoFacadeFenestration
- CaplessFlush glazing
- A glazed facade with no cover caps on the outside, so the glass reads as one smooth surface, separated only by a narrow joint.
Fenza systemStructural Glazing →Curtain Wall →
See alsoCapped systemStructural glazing
- Capped system
- A curtain wall where a cover cap on the outside hides the pressure plate that holds the glass. The caps show as a fine grid of lines across the facade.
Fenza systemCurtain Wall →
See alsoPressure plateCapless
- Casement window
- A window hinged at the side, or at the top, that swings open like a small door.
Fenza systemCasement Windows →
See alsoMitre jointCorner crimping
- Cassette
- A panel or framed unit assembled in the factory and hung on the building as one piece. Used for cladding trays and for semi-unitised curtain wall.
Fenza systemMetal & Composite Cladding →Curtain Wall →
See alsoSemi-unitisedUnitised system
- Cladding
- A non-structural outer covering fixed to a building's frame, for appearance and weather protection.
Fenza systemMetal & Composite Cladding →Rain-Screen Ventilated Facade →
See alsoACPRain-screen
- Copy router
- A machine that follows a template to mill identical slots, drill holes and cut drainage openings in aluminium profiles.
See alsoDrainage slotExtrusion
- Corner crimping
- Joining mitred aluminium corners mechanically, by pressing them together under force, instead of welding.
Fenza systemCasement Windows →
See alsoMitre joint
- Curtain wall
- A light, non-load-bearing outer skin of aluminium framing and glass or panels, hung in front of a building's structure. It carries only its own weight and the wind load.
Fenza systemCurtain Wall →
- Deflection
- How much a facade member bends under load, for example from wind. Limits are set so the glass and seals are never overstressed.
- Double-glazed unitDGU, IGU, insulating glass unit
- Two panes of glass held apart by a sealed spacer, enclosing an air- or gas-filled gap. It insulates against heat and noise far better than a single pane.
- Drainage slotWeep hole
- A small opening in a frame that lets any water that gets inside drain back outside.
See alsoASTM E331Copy router
- End milling
- Machining the end of a profile into a notch-and-tenon shape so it seats against another profile.
Fenza systemCurtain Wall →
See alsoNotch-and-tenonTransom
- EPDMEthylene propylene diene monomer
- A synthetic rubber used for gaskets because it stays flexible and resists sunlight, ozone and weather for many years.
See alsoGasket
- ExtrusionProfile
- Aluminium heated and pushed through a shaped die to make a long section with the same cross-section along its whole length. Mullions, transoms and window frames are all extrusions.
See alsoMullionThermal break
- Facade consultant
- An independent specialist who advises the design team on facade design, performance and specification, and reviews the contractor's work.
See alsoShop drawingsMock-up
- Fenestration
- Windows, doors and other openings in a building's envelope.
Fenza systemCasement Windows →Sliding Windows & Doors →
See alsoBuilding envelope
- Gasket
- A flexible seal, usually EPDM rubber, that grips the glass in its frame, cushions it off the metal and keeps out air and water.
Fenza systemCurtain Wall →
- Glass fin
- A vertical glass beam that supports glass panes, letting tall glazed walls span with almost no visible frame.
Fenza systemSpider & Point-Fixed Glazing →
See alsoSpider fitting
- Glazing
- Fitting glass into a building, or the glass itself.
- Glazing bead
- A removable strip that holds the glass in a window or door frame.
See alsoPressure plateGasket
- Laminated glass
- Two or more layers of glass bonded by a tough plastic interlayer. If it breaks, the pieces stay stuck to the interlayer, which is why it is used for safety.
- LouverLouvre
- Angled blades, fixed or adjustable, that let air and light through while blocking rain, sun or a direct view.
Fenza systemLouvers & Sun-Shading Fins →
- Low-E coatingLow-emissivity coating
- A near-invisible coating on glass that reflects heat radiation, so the glass insulates better and less heat passes through.
- Mill finish
- Aluminium exactly as it comes from the extrusion press, with no coating or colour applied.
See alsoAnodisingPowder coating
- Mitre joint
- A corner made by cutting two profile ends at an angle, usually 45°, so they meet neatly.
Fenza systemCasement Windows →
See alsoCorner crimpingNotch-and-tenon
- Mock-up
- A full-size sample of a section of the facade, built and tested before production starts. It proves the design performs and lets everyone agree how it will look.
Learn moreHow facades are tested →
- Movement jointExpansion joint
- A deliberate gap that lets the facade and the building expand, contract and sway without damage.
See alsoAnchorSealant joint
- Mullion
- The vertical framing member of a curtain wall or window. Mullions carry the facade's weight and wind load back to the building.
Fenza systemCurtain Wall →
- Notch-and-tenon
- A joint where the end of one profile is milled to a shape that fits against the face of another, so a transom seats square against a mullion.
Fenza systemCurtain Wall →
See alsoEnd millingTransomMullion
- Patch fitting
- A stainless-steel fitting clamped to the corner of a frameless glass door, holding it and carrying its pivot.
Fenza systemFrameless Glass Doors →
See alsoToughened glass
- Pergola
- An open outdoor structure with a slatted or louvred roof that gives shade while staying airy.
Fenza systemPergolas →
See alsoLouver
- Powder coating
- Dry coloured powder applied to aluminium with an electric charge, then baked so it melts into a hard, even finish.
See alsoAnodisingPVDF coating
- Pressure plate
- A metal strip fixed along the outside of a mullion or transom that clamps the glass against the gaskets.
Fenza systemCurtain Wall →
See alsoCapped systemGasket
- PVDF coatingPolyvinylidene fluoride
- A fluoropolymer paint applied to aluminium, chosen for holding its colour and resisting weather over many years.
See alsoPowder coatingAnodising
- Rain-screen
- An outer layer of panels that sheds most of the rain, with a ventilated gap behind. Any water that gets past drains or dries away in the gap.
Fenza systemRain-Screen Ventilated Facade →
See alsoVentilated cavityCladding
- Sealant joint
- A joint between two facade elements filled with flexible sealant, keeping out weather while allowing slight movement.
- Semi-unitised
- A curtain wall between stick and unitised: frames are part-assembled into cassettes in the factory, then hung and finished on site.
Fenza systemCurtain Wall →
- Setting block
- A small pad, usually rubber, that the glass sits on in its frame. It carries the glass's weight so the glass never rests on bare metal.
- Shop drawings
- Detailed fabrication and installation drawings produced by the facade contractor. They show exactly how every element is made and fixed, and are reviewed before production.
See alsoFacade consultantMock-up
- Sightline
- The visible width of a frame seen from outside. Slimmer sightlines give a lighter, more open look.
Fenza systemCurtain Wall →
See alsoCapped systemCapless
- Skylight
- A glazed opening in a roof or overhead, letting daylight into the space below.
Fenza systemSkylights & Canopies →
- Slide-and-fold door
- A door of several panels that slide along a track and fold, stacking to one side to open a wide span.
Fenza systemSlide & Fold Doors →
- Solar heat gainSHGC
- The share of the sun's energy that passes through glass as heat. Lower means the glass blocks more of it.
See alsoLow-E coatingU-value
- Spandrel
- An opaque panel that hides the floor slab and services between the glass of one floor and the next.
Fenza systemCurtain Wall →
See alsoCurtain wall
- Spider fittingRoutel
- A stainless-steel fitting with arms, each holding a corner of a glass pane through a drilled hole. It carries the glass at points rather than in a continuous frame.
Fenza systemSpider & Point-Fixed Glazing →
See alsoGlass fin
- Stick system
- A curtain wall built piece by piece on site: mullions and transoms go up first, then the glass is fitted.
Fenza systemCurtain Wall →
See alsoUnitised systemSemi-unitised
- Structural glazingSSG
- Glass bonded with structural silicone to a concealed frame, so no metal caps show on the outside, only a fine silicone joint.
Fenza systemStructural Glazing →
See alsoStructural siliconeCapless
- Structural silicone
- A high-strength silicone adhesive that bonds glass to a frame and carries load, not just seals a gap.
Fenza systemStructural Glazing →
See alsoStructural glazingSealant joint
- Thermal break
- An insulating strip, often polyamide, set between the inner and outer parts of an aluminium frame. It stops heat conducting straight through the metal.
- Toughened glassTempered glass
- Glass heat-treated to be much stronger than ordinary glass. If it does break, it crumbles into small, blunt pieces.
Fenza systemFrameless Glass Doors →
See alsoLaminated glassPatch fitting
- Transom
- The horizontal framing member of a curtain wall or window. It ties the grid together and supports the glass above it.
Fenza systemCurtain Wall →
- U-value
- A measure of how quickly heat passes through a facade element. Lower means better insulation.
- Unitised system
- A curtain wall assembled and glazed in the factory into whole panels, which are then lifted into place. It is fast on site.
Fenza systemCurtain Wall →
See alsoStick systemSemi-unitised
- Ventilated cavity
- The open air gap behind rain-screen panels. Moving air carries away moisture and heat.
Fenza systemRain-Screen Ventilated Facade →
See alsoRain-screen
- Wind load
- The pressure and suction wind puts on a facade. It depends on the building's height, location and shape, and the facade is designed to resist it.
Learn moreHow facades are tested →
See alsoDeflectionASTM E330Anchor
General industry definitions, for orientation. Test standards are described by what they measure, and applicable standards, values and revisions are confirmed per project with the facade consultant.
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