08 - Openings
Curtain wall & glazing bid estimating, without the grind.
The glazing number is set less by the wall SF than by the system type (stick vs. unitized), the AAMA performance class, and the delegated engineering/mock-up that's too easy to miss. Drop in your package and get back a cited first-pass: curtain wall by SF of opening, glass makeup per ASTM E1300, the wind-pressure and air/water-barrier flags, and the RFIs that keep a glazing bid from losing on the system, not the glass.
✓ PE-reviewable✓ Cited to source✓ Your curtain wall / glazing workflow
✓
REVIEWED
REVIEWED
Shop drawings + delegated structural engineeringmeasure SF of wall opening— cite
Performance mock-up + testing (if specified)measure SF of wall opening— cite
Curtain wall / storefront systems (stick vs. unitized)measure SF of wall opening— cite
Windows / entrances / automatic doorsmeasure EA (by type)— cite
Glass — IGU / laminated / spandrel / low-E coatingsmeasure SF— cite
6
governing codes
9
line-item groups
5
units of measure
5
risk flags
What it surfaces for curtain wall / glazing
Priced for the way curtain wall / glazing is actually bid.
The engine reads your package and flags exactly what bites curtain wall / glazing estimators — before it costs you.
Governing codes named: AAMA (aluminum framing + curtain-wall performance standards), ASTM E283/E331/E330 (air infiltration, water penetration, structural test methods), ASCE 7 (wind + component-and-cladding pressures), IBC Ch. 24 (glass + glazing: safety, sloped, guards), ASTM E1300 (glass thickness/load resistance), IGMA/IGCC (insulating-glass certification).
Line-item groups your bid breaks into: shop drawings + delegated structural engineering; performance mock-up + testing; curtain wall/storefront systems (stick vs. unitized); windows/entrances/automatic doors; glass IGU/laminated/spandrel/low-E; sunshades/louvers/metal panels; perimeter sealants + air/water barrier tie-in; anchors + embeds; field testing (AAMA 501.2 water) + hoisting/crane.
The glazing risks ranked: delegated engineering + mock-up (structural engineering, shop drawings, and performance mock-ups are real cost often missing from the base number); glass lead time + escalation (IGUs and coated/laminated glass); air/water barrier tie-in (a classic scope + leakage-liability gap); wind pressure/anchor design (under-designed anchors for ASCE 7 C&C); access/hoisting (crane cycles + swing-stage for unitized vs. stick-built).
The RFIs drafted (verbatim): "Is delegated structural engineering + shop drawings in our scope, and is a performance mock-up + field testing (ASTM E1105 / AAMA 501.2) required?" "Glass makeup: IGU configuration, low-E coating, laminated/safety glazing (IBC Ch. 24), spandrel — and any acoustic/security requirement?" "Air + water barrier tie-in: how does the wall system interface with the adjacent envelope, and whose scope is the transition membrane?"
The trade's anatomy
Everything curtain wall / glazing needs, structured.
Line-item groups
Shop drawings + delegated structural engineeringPerformance mock-up + testing (if specified)Curtain wall / storefront systems (stick vs. unitized)Windows / entrances / automatic doorsGlass — IGU / laminated / spandrel / low-E coatingsSunshades / louvers / metal panels (if in scope)Perimeter sealants + air/water barrier tie-inAnchors + embeds coordinationField testing (AAMA 501.2 water) + hoisting/crane
Governing codes
AAMA · aluminum framing + curtain-wall performance standards (structural, air/water)ASTM E283 / E331 / E330 · air infiltration, water penetration, and structural (uniform load) test methodsASCE 7 · wind + component-and-cladding design pressuresIBC Ch. 24 · glass + glazing (safety glazing, sloped, guards)ASTM E1300 · glass thickness / load resistanceIGMA / IGCC · insulating-glass unit certification + durability
Units of measure
curtain wall / storefront → SF of wall openingwindows / entrances / doors → EA (by type)glass (IGU / spandrel / laminated) → SFframing (mullions) → LF (or included in SF system price)sunshades / louvers / canopies → LF / EA
The risks that usually bite
Delegated engineering + mock-upGlass lead time + escalationAir/water barrier tie-inWind pressure / anchor designAccess / hoisting
“"Glazing's a specialty SF bid; the system price comes from my supplier."”
The system $/SF is the floor — the swing is the scope around it. The analysis surfaces the three things that most often sink a glazing bid: the delegated structural engineering + performance mock-up lines that are real cost missing from a base number, the glass lead time/availability against the schedule, and the air/water barrier tie-in that becomes a leakage liability. The estimator bids the whole system, not just the glass. Cited hands clean to the glazing PE.
Run this on your own glazing package.
30 minutes. Bring a real set — a unitized curtain wall, a storefront build, or a job thin on mock-up/engineering detail — and watch the cited line items, the delegated-engineering flags, and the air/water barrier RFIs on your actual drawings.