If you manage commercial property, contractors and tenants throw around glass terminology like everyone speaks the language. Storefront. Curtainwall. Entry system. Glazing. Most of it isn’t intuitive.
Here’s the working vocabulary, what each category is for, and where each one shows up in typical New Orleans commercial buildings.
Storefront Glass
Storefront systems are what you see at street level on most retail and restaurant buildings — think of the long glass facades along Magazine Street, Decatur, or anywhere in the CBD. Large panes of glass in lightweight aluminum framing, mounted to the building’s structure. The aluminum framing carries the glass weight; the glass doesn’t carry load.
Storefront glass is typically tempered or laminated for safety. Standard storefront framing is 4-1/2″ deep and 2″ wide. Common applications: retail windows, restaurant frontages, ground-floor office spaces, lobby entrances.
Storefront is what we replace most often after storms or break-ins. It’s also what most commercial customers ask us about by name (“we need a storefront repair”).
Curtainwall
Curtainwall is the multi-story glass facade you see on modern office buildings. The term “curtain” refers to the fact that the glass doesn’t carry the building’s structural load — it hangs from the building like a curtain.
Curtainwall is a more complex system than storefront. It involves heavier aluminum framing, multiple glass panels per bay, gaskets and sealants engineered for water and air resistance, and structural attachments back to the building’s frame.
Common applications: office towers, hospitals, large institutional buildings. The glass in curtainwall is usually insulated (double-pane) and often has Low-E coatings. Some buildings use structurally glazed curtainwall — where the glass is bonded directly to the framing with structural silicone, eliminating visible exterior mullions.
Entry Systems
Entry systems are the doors and surrounding glass at building entrances. These include the door panels themselves (often glass), the sidelites (fixed glass panels next to the door), and the transoms (fixed glass above the door).
Entry systems take heavy daily use, so the hardware specifications matter — heavy-duty closers, commercial-grade hinges, push-pull hardware, and accessibility-compliant operators.
Common applications: every commercial building has at least one entry system. Many have several. Failure modes are typically the hardware (closers that won’t slow the door, hinges that sag) rather than the glass itself.
Got a commercial project and not sure what category applies? Call (504) 368-8826 or Email: glass@starglass.com
Partitions and Office Dividers
Interior glass partitions are increasingly common in modern office buildouts. Floor-to-ceiling glass walls between offices, conference room enclosures, and frosted glass for privacy.
These aren’t structural — they’re interior space dividers. Tempered glass is required by code. Framing is typically minimal (frameless or with thin aluminum channels).
Common applications: corporate office buildouts, medical offices, professional service firms (law, accounting, architecture). Anything where you want light to pass through interior walls.
Window Wall Systems
Similar to curtainwall but mounted between floors rather than hanging in front of them. Window wall is common in residential high-rises and mid-rise office buildings. The framing carries less structural load than curtainwall.
The distinction matters because the systems are engineered differently and pricing differs. Most commercial customers don’t need to know the distinction — but architects and GCs do.
Specialty Glass Categories
Other categories worth knowing exist:
Skylights and overhead glazing. Glass at a slope or horizontal, requiring specialized framing for water management and overhead glass safety.
Butt-glazed systems. Glass panels with sealant between them but no vertical framing. Common in retail display areas where you want a wide unbroken window line.
All-glass entrances. Heavy structural glass doors with no surrounding frames. Architectural, expensive, dramatic.
Glass railings. Stair railings, balcony railings, mezzanine guards — all required to be tempered or laminated by code, with specific structural requirements.
Why the Distinctions Matter
When you’re requesting bids or planning maintenance, the category determines specifications, pricing, and lead time. Replacement of a single storefront panel: days. Replacement of a curtainwall section: weeks. Replacement of an all-glass entrance door: depends on the door size and hardware.
When you call us, telling us the category (or at least describing what you see — “big glass storefront at the entrance” or “office windows on the third floor”) helps us route to the right estimator faster.
Ready to Get Started?
Star Glass Inc. serves Jefferson Parish, Orleans Parish, and the greater New Orleans metro. Reach us any way that works best for you:
Call or text: (504) 368-8826 Email: glass@starglass.com
Visit us: 1000 Westbank Expy, Gretna, LA 70053