On the 16th, when the strong typhoon "Mangosteen" affected Guangzhou, three glass windows of the Wanlinghui office building in Tianhe District fell from high altitude. The management of Wanlinghui has taken emergency measures and inspected all the facades of the building to eliminate potential safety hazards. At the same time, the maintenance manufacturer of the curtain wall has been notified to inspect the cause of the fall, and it is planned to complete the tightening inspection of all the glass windows of the building before September 21.

China’s tall buildings are being built more and more in major and medium-sized cities, but the corresponding security issues have also raised concerns. In the past, worries about high-rise buildings mainly focused on how to rescue fires and whether they can withstand strong earthquakes. Now, new worries have arisen about whether the attachments of high-rise buildings, such as glass windows and glass curtain walls, can withstand the impact of storms and rains? If it can't stand it, it will cause the wall to fall and injure people and destroy things. The most serious is to directly hit the pedestrians or employees downstairs, causing death or injury.

Before the strong typhoon “Mangosteen”, there have been many safety accidents caused by high-rise glass windows and glass curtain walls. Some of them were caused by storms, and more were caused by poor quality and technology. On May 18, 2011, Shanghai had three "Glass Rain" in one day, which occurred in Lujiazui Times Financial Center Building, a residential building at the intersection of Zhaohua East Road, Yan'an West Road, and Shanghai Coen International Center. Fortunately, there were three incidents." "Glass rain" did not cause casualties, only property losses.

The reason why "Glass Rain" frequently occurs in high-rise buildings in Shanghai and other cities is that the materials are not good enough. The glass curtain wall generally uses toughened glass, which contains nickel sulfide. In the case of thermal expansion and contraction, the nickel sulfide particles will become larger or smaller and do not match the glass window frame, which may cause dramatic changes in the internal stress of the glass and cause spontaneous explosion. In summer, because the air-conditioning temperature in the building is much lower than the outdoor temperature, the glass curtain wall cannot withstand the tearing of the ice and fire, and it will explode spontaneously.

The area of ​​the glass curtain wall is large, and the tension required to bear its own weight is also large. With a little external force, it may burst, such as the blow and tear of strong wind, and the impact of birds. The tearing of the strong typhoon "mangosteen" caused the rupture of the glass wall, indicating that the installation of the glass curtain wall needs to reconsider the technical indicators of the strong wind impact.

“Glass rain” is not uncommon. A troublesome question is whether the broken glass window should be the real estate agent responsible for the quality of the house, or should the additional construction of the house be borne by the owner. According to the "Commodity Residential Quality Assurance Certificates" of many cities, the outer wall is guaranteed for 5 years, and the doors and windows are guaranteed for 2 years. This shows that the real estate agent does not have to be responsible after the warranty period. Moreover, neither the external walls nor the terms of doors and windows involve the issue of glass.

What is even more unfavorable for the owners is that the "General Principles of Civil Law" pointed out that the owners should be responsible for the injuries caused by falling objects. However, the owners do not have specific knowledge and maintenance techniques for the safety and maintenance of glass windows and glass curtain walls in high-rise buildings. If people destroy things, they are likely to lose their fortunes.

The safety problem caused by the broken and falling glass curtain wall needs to be solved urgently. First, the technical standards for glass curtain walls and glass windows need to be established, and secondly, the responsibilities for glass windows and glass curtain walls need to be clarified. For example, it is necessary to clarify whether the glass curtain wall is regarded as a door and window or a wall. At least not all the owners should bear the responsibility. Real estate developers and glass windows and glass curtain wall manufacturers and installers need to take important responsibilities. In addition, it is necessary to strictly manage and maintain glass windows and glass curtain walls in accordance with existing regulations. For example, the "Management Measures for the Use of Glass Curtain Walls" of the Ministry of Construction stipulates that glass curtain walls must undergo a safety performance appraisal every 10 years or so.

Some buildings in the city have to restrict or prohibit the use of glass curtain walls. For example, Shanghai has implemented the "Measures for the Administration of Glass Curtain Walls for Buildings in Shanghai" since 2012. In the future, the use of glass curtain walls in buildings with more than two floors in residences, hospitals, schools, kindergartens, and nursing homes in Shanghai will be prohibited. Moreover, Shanghai also requires the establishment of special glass curtain walls. Maintenance funds. If these methods are in place, the hazards of glass windows and glass curtain walls may be reduced.