In commercial curtain wall construction, these opaque panels fill the vertical space between the windows of successive floors to hide the concrete floor slabs, insulation, and dropped ceilings. In residential framing and roofing, the term sometimes refers to metal or plastic soffit panels that enclose the underside of an overhang. They create a continuous exterior facade by bridging the gap between vision glass or structural bays.
Heard on the job
We need to order the opaque glass spandrels for the third-floor curtain wall before the framing goes up.
Insider tip
Glass spandrel panels must be heavily insulated and heat-treated to handle the extreme thermal stress that builds up in the trapped space behind them.
Also heard as
- spandrel panel