System Design Curtain Wall & Facade Systems

Systems Designer – Curtain Wall & Facade Systems

The Systems Designer is responsible for the technical design and development of commercial curtain wall, window wall, storefront, and related exterior facade systems. This position is specifically focused on system design, not simply drafting or producing shop drawings.

The Systems Designer must understand how facade systems are conceived, detailed, extruded, fabricated, assembled, glazed, sealed, installed, and drained. The role requires the ability to develop new aluminum extrusion profiles and system components, create accurate die drawings, evaluate how components interface and function together, and ensure that completed systems provide the required structural support, water management, air control, thermal performance, constructability, and serviceability.

The Systems Designer works through technical problems from concept through production-ready design, developing practical solutions that can be manufactured and successfully installed in the field.

The Systems Designer is expected to possess a strong working knowledge of curtain wall and facade system design and to understand why a system works, not merely how it is drawn.

The designer must be capable of taking architectural requirements and performance criteria and developing them into a functional facade system. This includes designing extrusion profiles and interfaces, understanding glazing pockets and gasket engagement, developing pressure-equalized and drained assemblies, maintaining continuity of air and water seals, accommodating fabrication and installation tolerances, and ensuring that individual components properly engage and function as a complete system.

The Systems Designer should be able to identify potential problems before they reach engineering, extrusion, fabrication, testing, or the field and develop practical solutions that balance performance, manufacturability, installation, cost, and architectural intent.

Strong proficiency in 2D CAD is required. Experience with 3D design software such as Inventor, Revit, Solid Works, Rhino, or similar platforms is beneficial.

Essential duties and responsibilities include:

• Design and develop curtain wall, window wall, storefront, sunshade, and other architectural facade systems and components.
• Develop new aluminum extrusion profiles based on system requirements, architectural intent, fabrication requirements, and installation conditions.
• Create accurate extrusion die drawings suitable for coordination with extrusion manufacturers and tooling vendors.
• Determine appropriate extrusion geometry, including wall thicknesses, screw splines, gasket races, glazing pockets, snap engagements, locating features, drainage paths, and connection interfaces.
• Design components so mating parts properly engage, assemble, seal, fasten, and function together.
• Understand extrusion manufacturing limitations and incorporate appropriate tolerances, radii, material thicknesses, dimensional controls, and other manufacturing considerations into component design.
• Develop curtain wall systems with a clear understanding of water management principles, including pressure equalization, compartmentalization, internal drainage, weep paths, end dams, sill conditions, and transitions.
• Maintain continuity of primary and secondary air and water seals throughout the facade system.
• Understand the relationship between exterior weather seals, internal seals, glazing gaskets, perimeter seals, splice joints, and system drainage.
• Understand typical insulating glass, laminated glass, spandrel glass, metal panel, and infill requirements as they relate to system design.
• Develop system solutions that accommodate thermal expansion, building movement, floor-to-floor movement, fabrication tolerances, erection tolerances, and glass movement.
• Coordinate system geometry with structural requirements and work with engineering to ensure components can accommodate required loads and attachment conditions.
• Understand how mullion depth, aluminum geometry, reinforcement, anchors, fasteners, and connection conditions affect system performance.
• Design anchors, clips, receptors, perimeter conditions, splice…