Xiamen to strengthen management of skyscraper glass curtain walls

The bureau said they have built a system to record all the buildings with exterior walls made of glass in the city and will urge skyscraper builders and property owners to conduct safety checks and repairs of glass curtain walls which have been in use for more than ten years.The authority will notify the owners and publish the buildings in the media.



According to incomplete statistics, there are more than 1,000 buildings with glass curtain walls in the city, of which 259 have been in use for more than 10 years.



Experts have said that glass curtain walls which have been in use for more than ten years could have problems like cracks, erosion and leaks, and could easily fall from the buildings as the structural adhesive used to fix them in place ages.



Even a small piece of glass falling from high above can be as powerful as a bullet, experts warn, adding that glass curtain walls also cause light pollution and lead to excessive energy consumption because of the ease with which heat can dissipate through the glass.



Meanwhile, the city will also introduce new rules to standardize and restrict the use of glass curtain walls in new buildings.