Quick answer: Storefront is a single-story aluminum-and-glass system installed span-by-span between floor and ceiling, designed for ground-floor commercial use up to about 14 feet tall. Curtain wall is a multi-story system that hangs from the building structure, designed to span multiple floors as a continuous skin. Storefront is cheaper, faster, and simpler. Curtain wall costs more but enables taller buildings, larger glass lites, and continuous glass facades.
Storefront is a stick-built aluminum extrusion system, typically 1-3/4" to 2-1/2" face dimension. Vertical mullions run from sill to header. Glass is installed by wet-glazing or dry-glazing. Storefront is engineered to resist wind loads on a single-story span. Standard maximum height is 12-14 feet. Above that, you need reinforced storefront or curtain wall.
Curtain wall is a structural glass facade hung from the building's slab edge. Vertical mullions span floor-to-floor and connect to slab anchors. The entire assembly is engineered to handle dead load, wind load, seismic load, and thermal movement across multiple stories. Curtain wall comes in two main types: stick-built (assembled on-site) and unitized (prefabricated panels installed by crane).
Storefront on a Florida project: $66-$142 per square foot installed. Curtain wall on a Florida project: $95-$240 per square foot installed. For a 5,000 SF facade, that's $330K-$710K storefront vs. $475K-$1.2M curtain wall. The math matters.
Single-story retail, restaurant, office TI, and ground-floor lobby work. Maximum opening height under 14 feet. Project budget is tight. Schedule is fast. AHJ submittal needs to be straightforward.
Multi-story buildings (3+ stories). Glass facades wider than the available storefront mullion spacing. Continuous glass appearance across floors. Wind loads exceeding standard storefront ratings. Architectural intent requires deep mullion shadow lines, structural silicone glazing, or unitized panel construction.
Storefront is a single-story aluminum framing system installed span-by-span, typically up to 14 feet tall. Curtain wall is a multi-story system that hangs from the building structure as a continuous facade. Storefront is cheaper and faster; curtain wall enables taller buildings and larger glass.
Yes — curtain wall mullions are heavier, deeper, and engineered to span multiple floors and resist wind loads at greater heights. Storefront is engineered for single-story use.
Curtain wall costs significantly more — typically $95-$240 per square foot installed vs. $66-$142 per square foot for storefront. Curtain wall also requires more engineering, more shop drawings, and a longer install schedule.
Reinforced storefront with steel tubes inside the aluminum extrusion can extend to 16-18 feet on some systems. Above that, curtain wall is the right answer.
Yes — this is common. Ground-floor storefront with multi-story curtain wall above is the standard configuration on mid-rise mixed-use buildings.
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