Commercial glazing questions, answered directly.

Storefront sits within a single opening and is supported at the head and sill, typically one story. Curtain wall spans continuously past floor lines and hangs off the structure at each slab edge. If the glazed area crosses a floor line, it is curtain wall regardless of how the drawings label it.

Unitized is glazed in the shop and set as finished panels — faster on site, less weather exposure, best for repetitive elevations and occupied buildings. Stick-built is assembled at the building and is more economical on low-rise, ground-accessible or geometrically irregular elevations.

European-style framing uses narrow face widths, flush exterior planes and multi-chamber polyamide isolators, delivering slimmer sightlines and better condensation resistance. American-style framing uses wider profiles with captured glazing and snap-on stops, and matches most of the corridor's existing building stock at a lower cost.

In conditioned space, yes — an un-broken aluminum frame conducts heat straight through the wall, fails current energy code paths and produces winter condensation on interior frame faces. Non-thermal framing remains appropriate only in unconditioned areas such as parking structures.

The controlling items are shop drawing approval and glass fabrication, both of which sit ahead of field work. Approval turnaround is usually the largest variable and is inside the owner's and architect's control, not the installer's.

Yes, with sequencing designed for it — bay-per-night storefront replacement, floor-by-floor unitized setting, or elevation-by-elevation sealant work. The requirement is that the envelope is closed at the end of every shift, which favours shop-glazed assemblies.

Both. New construction work is coordinated against the specification and structural interface; retrofit work starts with a field survey because existing openings rarely match the original drawings after decades of building movement.

Usually not. Water travels, so the interior stain rarely marks the entry point. The common sources are failed perimeter joints, blocked weep paths and gasket failure — isolated by sequential water testing from the bottom up.

Correctly installed silicone typically lasts 15 to 20 years and urethane 7 to 12, with south and west elevations failing years before north. Plan a close inspection every two to three years and budget remediation by elevation rather than by building.

No. Condensation on metal is a frame conductivity problem. Better glass raises the glass surface temperature and leaves the mullion cold, concentrating the sweating on the frame. The fix is a thermally broken system with adequate frame condensation resistance.