ANALYSIS:Curtain wall structures - between performance and compromises

Although in recent decades the facades sector has grown - a phenomenon which was felt as well with a great intensity in Romania after the 1990 - the activity has slowed significantly once the recession has begun, five years ago. This trend is natural, especially because on the Romanian market the development of office buildings took place in a chaotic manner, without taking into account the minimum requirements related to urbanization, proximity to public transportation, etc. Although there have been implemented similar technical solutions to those applied in Western European countries (with some specific adjustments) for Class A office buildings (which are the main structures benefiting of curtain walls), currently there is a relatively low degree of occupancy. The causes are multiple and are represented mainly by the lack of funding for lease. The result is an extremely low demand for professionals in the execution of envelope structures. At the present time, the exports constitute a lifeline for curtain wall contractors. After 2009, many companies operating in this area have restricted their activity or declared bankruptcy due to the scarcity of demand. There was a fairly long time, even in the area of Bucharest, when no work in the category has been released, so specialized companies were forced to shift to other activities in order to avoid reorganization. A solution recently identified was to tender for projects in foreign markets, especially because local companies have enough skills in the field to compete with equal chances with more experienced societies in Western Europe. The competitiveness of price represented a strong advantage for this segment, providing a large extent of success. Unfortunately, the potential demand is located at relatively large distances from the production facilities, requiring significant logistical effort that can be sustained solely by companies with great potential in this regard.