SEISMIC DAMAGE MITIGATION OF THE GLAZED BUILDING FACADE

Glass as a material in architecture and civil engineering represents a challenge, and it is often a material of choice for designers, used both for the the building interior elements as well as for cladding of building. The paper has addressed specifically the glazed curtain wall façades and the earthquake-induced issues related to them. A review of the standing standards and practice in this field are provided. The paper presents some of contemporary solutions for damage mitigation of glazed building envelopes caused by earthquakes, such as: solutions with clearances between glass and its frame, earthquake-isolated curtain wall system, modified geometry of glass corners and friction damping connectors