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Curtain wall systems for buildings across Saudi Arabia
A curtain wall is a non-load-bearing facade of aluminium and glass hung in front of a building’s structure. Qusoor Al-Sultan prepares the shop drawings, fabricates the system at its factory in Makkah and installs it on site, from SAR 470/m² supplied and installed, before VAT.
What is a curtain wall (curtain walling) system?
A curtain wall system is an exterior skin of aluminium mullions, transoms and glass, fixed to the slab edges with brackets. It carries its own weight and the wind load on it, never the floors of the building. British specifications call it curtain walling; American ones, an aluminum curtain wall. It is also written as one word: curtainwall, curtainwalls or curtainwalling.
This matches the curtain wall entry on Wikipedia. Before detailing, our technical office reviews the facade dimensions and module divisions, doors and vents, edges and junctions with other systems, and the specified glass and finishes.
Stick or unitized: which curtain wall suits your building?
Stick systems, the conventional curtain wall, are assembled on site, mullion by mullion, then glazed; they suit most mid-rise buildings and stay flexible during construction. Unitized (or unitised) systems, also called modular curtain wall systems, arrive as complete panels assembled in the factory, which cuts site time on high-rise towers but demands tighter shop drawings and accurate building dimensions before fabrication. Curtain walls are not only for towers: in a house, the majlis front can be built as a continuous residential curtain wall, from SAR 470/m² in Makkah; see majlis glass facades.
| Aspect | Stick system | Unitized system |
|---|---|---|
| Where it is assembled | Mullions and transoms fixed on site, then glazed | Complete units assembled in the factory, then lifted and fixed |
| Time on site | Longer | Shorter |
| Flexibility during works | Higher: easier to adjust on site | Lower: units are made in advance |
| Typical use | Most mid-rise projects | High-rise buildings |
| Shop drawing precision | Standard | Higher, with accurate building dimensions |
What an aluminium curtain wall is made of
- Aluminium mullions (vertical) and transoms (horizontal) that carry the glass.
- A pressure plate and outer cap that hold the glass and form the visible lines.
- Rubber gaskets and silicone that seal the joints against water and air.
- Brackets that tie the mullions to the slabs and pass wind loads to the structure.
- Glass: single tempered (securit), double glazed as an insulated glass unit (IGU), or laminated.
Curtain wall price: Smart or SG 50, the two grades we install
Both grades use Alupco profiles with a pressure plate and cap finish: Standard on the Smart system at SAR 470–585/m², Premium on SG 50 at SAR 530–630/m², supplied and installed, before VAT, in Makkah, with single tempered glass included. Options are added per square metre or per piece:
| Option | Effect on price |
|---|---|
| Double glazed unit, 28 or 33 mm | +SAR 27/m² |
| Laminated double glazing (1.52 + 6 + 6) | +SAR 200/m² on top of the grade price |
| Reflective tinted glass | +SAR 36/m² |
| Low-E glass | Priced on request |
| Integrated top-hung window | +SAR 315 each |
| Integrated door | +SAR 990 each |
An openable curtain wall gets its vents as integrated top-hung windows, placed on the shop drawings before production. The final figure then depends on stick or unitized assembly, facade height, wind loads and site access equipment. Outside Makkah, transport and installation add 3% for Jeddah and Taif, 5% for Madinah, 8% for Riyadh and the Eastern Province and 10% elsewhere; full ranges are in our aluminium and glass price guide. External shading is a separate service: louvers and sun breakers start from SAR 380/m².
What should a consultant or contractor send for curtain wall pricing?
Send the facade elevations, sections and details, the specification and glass schedule, and the BOQ if one exists, with the project city and current stage. Mark any integrated vents or doors on the drawings. Partial information is fine: our technical office will tell you exactly what is still missing before pricing.
Since 2018 the factory has delivered more than 250 projects, for owners and developers, under main contractors, or to a consultant’s approved specification.
Curtain wall contractor for high-rise and office buildings in Saudi Arabia
On high-rise, office and commercial buildings, height changes what a curtain wall contractor checks: the wind load passed to each bracket, the site access equipment and the assembly method. Unitized curtain walls suit high-rise towers, because complete units assembled at our factory in Makkah are lifted into place and cut time on site; most mid-rise buildings stay with the stick system.
As the contractor, Qusoor Al-Sultan takes the package directly for the owner or as a subcontractor under the main contractor, with one technical office for the shop drawings and one factory for fabrication. Projects outside Makkah carry the Makkah rate plus transport and installation, so a tower in Riyadh adds 8%. Main contractors can start from the documents listed on our contractors page.
From approved shop drawings to installation
A curtain wall is decided on the drawings: vents and doors cannot be added after fabrication. Every project passes through five stages:
- Facade review — dimensions, divisions, openings and junctions.
- Shop drawings and material take-off — tying the facade grid to fabrication data.
- Mock-up, where specified — a facade sample tested before fabrication, agreed at the start.
- Fabrication — at our factory in Wadi Jalil, Makkah, where unitized panels are fully assembled.
- Installation — brackets on the slabs, then mullions and glass (stick) or finished units lifted into place (unitized), and sealed joints.
Indicative lead time: 21–28 working days from approved shop drawings to handover under 50 m², longer for larger facades.
Curtain wall in your project?
Send the facade drawings and specifications you have
Clarity matters more than completeness: send what exists, with the city and stage, and we will flag what is missing.
Frequently asked questions
Do you work as a curtain wall subcontractor under a main contractor?
Yes. We take the facade package directly with the owner or as a subcontractor inside the main contract, coordinating submittals, approvals and the programme.
How much does a curtain wall cost per m²?
From SAR 470/m² supplied and installed, before VAT, in Makkah: SAR 470–585 on the Standard grade (Smart system) and SAR 530–630 on the Premium grade (SG 50), with Alupco profiles and single tempered glass included. Glass upgrades, integrated windows and doors are added on top.
When does a curtain wall need shop drawings?
Before fabrication, whenever the facade grid must be tied precisely to fabrication data, and our technical office prepares them. Unitized systems need the highest precision because units are assembled complete in the factory, and integrated windows and doors are fixed on the drawings early because they cannot be added later.
Is a curtain wall the same as cladding?
No. A curtain wall is a complete aluminium and glass facade system, while cladding is a skin of panels over solid wall. The two often meet on one building, but they are separate scopes joined by a detailed junction.
Are you curtain wall suppliers, manufacturers or installers?
All three. Qusoor Al-Sultan’s technical office prepares the shop drawings, its factory in Wadi Jalil, Makkah, builds the curtain wall system, and the factory then supplies and installs it on site for buildings across Saudi Arabia. Prices start from SAR 470/m² supplied and installed in Makkah, before VAT.
What is the difference between a curtain wall and a window wall?
A curtain wall, called curtain walling in British specifications, hangs in front of the floor slabs on brackets and runs past them as one continuous skin of aluminium and glass. A window wall sits between the slabs, one storey at a time, so each slab edge breaks the glazing. Our factory builds curtain walls, stick or unitized, from SAR 470/m².
Can a house have a curtain wall?
Yes. On a house or villa, a residential curtain wall can glaze a main elevation such as the majlis front, from SAR 470/m² supplied and installed in Makkah, before VAT. Structural glazing costs the same without visible frame lines. Vents add SAR 315 and doors SAR 990 each, placed on the drawings before fabrication.
What upkeep does a curtain wall need?
Periodic checks of the silicone and gaskets to keep water and air out, and any broken pane replaced with its original specification; a double glazed unit is replaced whole if mist appears inside. For facades the factory installed, we handle this within the warranty and after it.
Technical review: Eng. Hisham, factory manager at Qusoor Al-Sultan, with more than 20 years of management and technical experience in aluminium and glass. He reviews the technical content of this page. Last updated: 8 October 2026.