This occupation is found in The Construction Sector. Curtain Walling is an integral part of the building external envelope. Curtain walling installers work predominantly in the commercial market but there is a growing market for curtain wall screens on higher end residential projects. Usually manufactured from aluminium, it offers a lightweight framework which is fixed back to the building structure into which a range of infills can be inserted. These infill can be glass, panels, window units, ventilation and acoustic elements. Systems are available using Timber and Steel. Installation can cover health, education, retail, commercial and leisure sectors and can range from simple single storey retail screens to multi storey, high rise office and residential developments. Manufacturers/Installers can range in size from small owner/manager businesses to large multi-sited operations with turnover in excess of £20 million.
The broad purpose of the occupation is to install curtain wall systems to form all or part of the external envelope of a building. Curtain wall systems are structurally capable of spanning multiple floors. They can offer a continuous glazed façade covering the full height of the building. The installation process includes fixing of the primary system, securing the infill materials and applying all the perimeter abutment products following The Centre for Window and Cladding Technology (CWCT) guidelines and systems’ manuals.
In their daily work, an employee in this occupation interacts with other members of the installation team, (the nature of the product necessitates a minimum of 2 people and quite often larger teams of 4 or 6 personnel), site managers and/or installation managers, the Client, main contractor and/or architect, design team members, other external envelope contractors, the system supplier and façade consultants. This is usually a site-based occupation and can involve working at extreme heights including the use of specialist access plant to handle and install the products. The installer may work directly for the system fabricator or work for a specialist installation company. The installers will travel to where the work/site is located. This can involve working away for a period of time and staying in local accommodation for the duration of the work programme. Working hours are generally between 7-8.00 am until 5-6.00 pm but may involve additional hours to maintain the project programme. Sometimes, depending on site access/usage during normal working hours, the installers may be required to work night shifts and weekend shifts.
An employee in this occupation will be responsible for working with a team ensuring they have the correct access, tools, plant and materials to carry out the installation. This may involve different parts of the building being worked on at one time.They will be responsible for the setting out and fixing of the main grid work in accordance with the approved drawings and works instructions. They will normally work under an Installation Manager, Project Manager and/or Site Manager who will task them with different duties during the project programme. On smaller projects they may work unsupervised due to the simpler nature of the installation being carried out. The work may also include the fitting of doors and windows into the curtain wall grid. They will also be responsible for continued professional development achieving additional training/qualifications such as International Powered Access Federation (IPAF), Prefabricated Access Suppliers and Manufacturers Association (PASMA) which will allow them to perform high-level work. Summary of Standard https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/apprenticeship-standards/curtain-wall-installer/ Full Standard https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/media/3686/st0802_curtain_wall_installer_l3_ap_for-publication_20112019.pdf
