A guide to residential curtain walling

June 24, 2026 //

Traditionally more often seen on commercial buildings, large high-end architectural glazing solutions like curtain walling have become a popular option for ambitious residential builds and extensions due to their ability to maximise natural light, create a dramatic visual impact, and deliver a sleek contemporary look across multiple floors.

This guide explores the benefits, technicalities and cost considerations of IDSystems’ curtain walling systems to help you determine if it’s right for your project.

What is curtain walling?

In its most simple form, curtain walling is a self-supporting, non-structural glazed screen for a building. They are not load-bearing and are primarily intended to increase the amount of natural light entering internal spaces, while also protecting from the elements.

A typical construction is made from lightweight aluminium frames and large glass panels, creating a seamless floor-to-ceiling appearance.

Common residential uses are not limited to large properties. With the right expert guidance, they present an opportunity for homeowners looking to maximise the amount of natural light, extending even beyond the height and scale of bi-fold doors and picture windows.

Technical Sales Manager Edward Stobart explains;

“Curtain-walling was once the preserve of commercial structures, but in recent years, contemporary house design trends have seen a growth in demand for larger glazed screens within residential properties to create bold architectural statements and maximise natural light all year round.”

Key features and performance benefits

Aesthetics

Not only do curtain walls provide a seamless facade of glass, but they are versatile enough to be installed on buildings with unusual shapes and structures.

Strength and weather protection

Because the systems were originally designed for large-scale commercial uses, residential curtain walling is designed to be incredibly strong and can handle much higher wind loads and larger glass weights than standard residential frames.

Energy efficiency

High-quality glazed screens are included in all IDSystems curtain walling, designed for the highest standards of thermal efficiency. Available with double or triple glazing, the glazing can be supplied with solar control glass, essential for south-facing elevations, to ensure the internal spaces are usable all year round.

Natural light

Due to the extensive size and scale, curtain walling will maximise the amount of natural light flooding into the interior of your building, re-energising old spaces and enhancing wellbeing.

Edward Stobart highlights how IDSystems overcomes the complexity involved with curtain walling, saying;

“The technical support we can offer architects and our involvement from the very first design concept helps to ensure that we take the complexity out of the specification, and having in-house manufacturing and installation means we have complete control over the whole process from design and fabrication to fitting.”

Types of curtain wall systems

Stick system

Most common for residential builds. The sticks in the name refer to the thermally broken mullions (vertical) and transoms (horizontal) aluminium profile that make up the frame. This allows for adjustments to be made during the installation on buildings with complex designs.

In this system, the frame is pre-fabricated and assembled on-site. While this makes the system easier to deliver and cheaper to manufacture, it requires a skilled installation team to assemble.

Unitised system

A unitised system is pre-assembled in a factory. This is more common for large commercial industrial buildings with especially large component pieces.

Pre-assembly makes installation much quicker and simpler than a Stick system, but increases costs around manufacturing and delivery. As the system is already assembled, the adjustments that can be made on-site are limited.

Capless

For an all-glass look, external aluminium capping can be replaced with structural silicone to bond the glass to the frames. This method is more common on commercial buildings and has a high price point.

While it creates a seamless external appearance, there is reduced design flexibility in installation. Long-term, sealant degradation and panel replacement demand additional ongoing monitoring and maintenance.

Does curtain walling overheat?

A common concern with large-scale glazing is solar gain making rooms uncomfortably hot during the summer months. To prevent this, IDSystems’ curtain walls include the following elements:

Solar Control glass has a special coating that absorbs heat from the sun to prevent overheating in the summer months, while still letting light through.
Thermal breaks are positioned between the inner and outer aluminium frames of the curtain wall – preventing cold-bridging through the frame. This helps to improve U-values for the home’s energy efficiency rating and meet building regulations Part L.
Ventilation. Every IDSystems design is custom-made. This means ventilation and openings can be integrated into your design to create natural airflow without undermining the sleek overall finish.

What are the UK building regulations for curtain walling?

As with a lot of glazing, when it comes to building regulations, there are several different Approved Documents that are relevant for curtain walling

Part L – Conservation of fuel and power

Building Regulations Part L sets out the requirements for the conservation of fuel and power, including the energy efficiency performance of buildings. A key measure used is the U-value, which indicates how easily heat can pass through a building element. For glazed elements, the maximum U-value requirements are 1.2 W/m²K for new build dwellings, 1.4 W/m²K for existing dwellings, and 1.6 W/m²K for buildings other than dwellings.

Part F – Ventilation
Ventilation must be considered when designing glass curtain walling systems to ensure adequate airflow and indoor air quality. Large glazed façades can affect natural ventilation performance, making it essential to incorporate suitable opening vents, ventilation strategies, and controllable airflow solutions within the façade design.

Part K – Protection from falling, collision and impact

Part K exists to improve the safety of homes, and covers the glazing specification for glass curtain walling – particularly for impact resistance and structural performance. The glass used is required to be either toughened or laminated glass.

Toughened glass is designed to shatter into many small, relatively harmless, pebble-like fragments when broken, reducing the risk of serious injury.
Laminated glass consists of two panes of glass bonded together with a polymer interlayer. When broken, the glass fragments are more likely to remain adhered to the interlayer, helping to protect passers-by from falling glass.

Part M – Access to and use of buildings
Curtain walling systems that incorporate entrance doors must have level or low-profile thresholds. This removes trip hazards and ensures wheelchair users and those with mobility aids can enter and exit the home safely

Part O – Mitigation of overheating
Extensive glazing can increase solar gain and internal temperatures, particularly on south-facing spaces. Appropriate glass specifications – including solar control glass, shading measures and ventilation strategies are therefore essential to comply with the requirements of Part O.

Part Q – Security
Part Q requires a minimum level of security in dwellings. Reasonable provision must be made to resist unauthorised access to any dwelling – for glazing this requires compliance with PAS 24 security testing and the inclusion of P1a (most often by using laminated glass) glazing specification.

Planning permission

If it significantly alters the appearance of the building, planning permission will likely be required before installing curtain walling on a house in the UK, so contact your Local Planning Authority before starting your project.

Planning permission may not always be needed to update existing glasswork, but it will certainly be a factor for properties in Conservation Areas or designated AONB.

What makes curtain walls a worthwhile investment?

Beyond the initial ‘wow’ factor, curtain walling can add significant value to a property and its kerb appeal. Because it is not load-bearing, the system provides a realistic way to improve the architectural profile of a property while avoiding the potential complexity and costs of alternative solutions.

On a performance level, with the correct design and glazing specification, the strength of the glass provides resistance against strong winds, provides acoustic insulation and contributes to an improved energy efficiency rating for the property. As every project is bespoke, homeowners are offered a huge selection of configuration options, such as integrating doors or opening windows, and will have total control over the final design.

Due to the bespoke nature of these projects, costs can vary greatly depending on complexity, glass specifications and other factors around bespoke requirements. Indicative costs for residential curtain walling start from around £1,750 per m2, including installation.

See how curtain walls could transform your project

Curtain walling from IDSystems is more than a glazing option, it redefines the structural impression your property makes, and could be the right option for your project if:

You are looking to make a statement e.g. a gable end window.
Your property is coastal or exposed to strong wind and rain.
You want to maximise natural light while minimising frames.
You want a continuous vertical glass facade with minimal visual breaks.

If you want to learn more, explore our case studies, contact our expert team to discuss the next steps, or request a free, no-obligation quote for your curtain wall project.