Architectural design - structural system conformity problems encountered in the design and application processes of stick aluminium curtain wall systems in Turkey

Stick aluminium curtain wall (SACW) systems are common curtain wall systems in Turkey. These sytems offer many advantages including architectural variation, modular design, ease of production and assembly. Beside their architectural properties SACW systems create significant load effects on structural systems. These load effects include lateral loads such as seismic and wind loads as well as static vertical loads. This load transfer is not one way. The vertical and lateral displacements of building structures also act on curtain walls. Healthy load transfer between the SACW and the building depends on architectural decisions during the design and construction process. Due to their wide use SACW systems are prone to architectural mistakes. These mistakes often represent themselves at latter stages of the construction and require solutions which will affect the architectural characteristics and structural behavior of buildings. This study focuses on SACW design and construction processes to find the effects of architectural decisions on curtain wall behavior. Case studies that include architectural design mistakes are selected to classify and study the reasons and the solutions of these mistakes. The importance of cooperation between all the stakeholders including the architects and engineers is emphasized for the prevention of these mistakes.