What Curtain Wall Submittals Are Needed for Typhoon-Prone Projects in the Philippines?

The Philippines sits in the most typhoon-exposed country on earth, taking around twenty tropical cyclones a year with several making landfall at damaging intensity.

That reality shapes the paperwork. A facade submittal that would satisfy a reviewer in a temperate market will come back with comments in Manila, because the questions being asked are different ones. Not just whether the system meets design load, but what happens when the pressure fluctuates for six hours, whether the glass stays in the opening after impact, and whether water driven horizontally at sustained pressure finds a path inside.

This article sets out what a complete submittal package contains for a Philippine project. PRANCE has supplied facade systems across Southeast Asian projects and works to the documentation standards described here.

Curtain Wall Wind Load Documents Philippines

Wind load analysis is the foundation of the package, and everything else references it.

The Governing Code

The National Structural Code of the Philippines, NSCP, published by the Association of Structural Engineers of the Philippines, is the governing document. The 2015 edition, NSCP 2015, remains widely referenced, and its wind provisions follow a methodology closely aligned with ASCE 7.

Basic wind speeds are mapped by zone. The archipelago is divided into zones with different design wind speeds, and the highest-exposure zones carry substantially higher values than most international projects encounter.

What the Wind Analysis Must Show？

• Basic wind speed for the project location, with the zone identified and the source cited

• Exposure category derived from surrounding terrain

• Importance factor reflecting the occupancy category of the building

• Topographic factor where the site sits on a hill, ridge, or escarpment

• Design pressures by zone, showing field, edge, and corner zones separately

• Internal pressure coefficients, including the enclosed versus partially enclosed assessment

That last item deserves attention. If the envelope is breached during a typhoon, the building becomes partially enclosed and internal pressure rises sharply, increasing the net load on every other facade element. This is the mechanism behind progressive facade failure, and it is why glass retention matters so much in this market.

Structural Calculations

Mullion and transom sizing against the derived pressures, deflection checks against the specified limit, glass thickness verification, and anchor design with the fixing method into the structure.

Calculations should be signed and sealed by a structural engineer licensed in the Philippines, or reviewed and countersigned by one. Submittals carrying only an overseas engineer's seal are frequently returned.

Engineering capability for typhoon design is worth confirming at tender rather than discovering at submittal.

Typhoon Curtain Wall Design Submittals Philippines

Beyond the wind analysis, the package covers the system itself.

Shop Drawings

A complete set for a Philippine submittal typically includes:

• Elevations showing panel layout, types, and reference numbers

• Typical sections through head, sill, jamb, and intermediate conditions

• Non-typical details at corners, parapets, interfaces, and penetrations

• Anchor details with bracket type, fixing method, embedment, and adjustment range

• Glazing details showing bite, gasket arrangement, and setting blocks

• Movement joint locations and designed dimensions

• Drainage paths showing the pressure-equalized cavity and weep locations

Drawings should show the as-designed condition and the tolerance range, since reviewers in this market frequently check whether the anchor adjustment accommodates realistic structural deviation.

Product Data and Material Certificates

Aluminum alloy and temper certificates, typically 6063-T5 or T6 for extrusions. Glass certificates covering type, thickness, and treatment. Sealant and gasket product data with compatibility statements. Finish specification with coating thickness and warranty terms.

Curtain Wall Water Penetration Test Report Philippines

Water testing carries particular weight here, because wind-driven rain at typhoon intensity is the condition the facade must survive.

Static Testing

ASTM E331 is the standard reference. Water applied at 5 gallons per square foot per hour for 15 minutes under constant positive pressure.

Test pressure in typhoon-exposed markets is commonly specified above the usual 20% of design pressure. Reviewers frequently expect to see testing at pressures reflecting the actual exposure rather than a generic minimum.

Dynamic Testing

AAMA 501.1 dynamic water testing uses a propeller-generated air stream rather than static pressure, better representing the fluctuating conditions of a real storm.

On typhoon-exposed projects this should be considered standard rather than optional. Dynamic testing routinely finds leaks that static testing misses, particularly at corner joints and at vertical-to-horizontal transitions.

Cyclic Testing

ASTM E547 applies water with pressure cycling. The pumping action draws water through joints that hold under steady pressure, which is precisely what a multi-hour typhoon does to a facade.

Where the specification calls for cyclic testing, the report should show the number of cycles and the pressure range applied.

The test standards behind the paperwork covers what each one proves.

Impact and Glass Retention Requirements

Where typhoon-prone jurisdictions diverge most from standard practice.

Wind-borne debris during a typhoon breaks glass. What matters next is whether the pane stays in the opening, because a breached envelope allows internal pressurization that can take the rest of the facade with it.

Tempered glass alone fails this test. The pane dices and leaves the opening entirely. Laminated glass cracks and the interlayer retains the fragments, maintaining the envelope until the storm passes.

Where impact resistance is specified, testing typically follows a missile impact followed by cyclic pressure loading, with ASTM E1886 and ASTM E1996 as the usual reference standards.

Laminated requirements under cyclic load covers the glass selection in detail. In practice, laminated inner panes are standard on Philippine high-rise work regardless of whether formal impact rating is specified.

Curtain Wall Submittal Checklist Philippines

A practical sequence for assembling the package.

Structural and wind

• Wind load analysis to NSCP, with zone, exposure, and importance factor stated

• Design pressures by facade zone, field, edge, and corner

• Structural calculations for mullions, transoms, glass, and anchors

• Deflection check against the specified limit

• Engineer's seal, locally licensed or countersigned

Drawings

• Elevations with panel schedule

• Typical and non-typical sections

• Anchor and bracket details with adjustment range

• Interface details with adjacent construction

• Movement joint and drainage details

Testing

• Air infiltration report to ASTM E283

• Static water penetration report to ASTM E331 at specified pressure

• Dynamic water report to AAMA 501.1 where specified

• Cyclic water report to ASTM E547 where specified

• Structural performance report to ASTM E330 at design and overload

• Impact and cyclic pressure testing where impact rating applies

Materials and products

• Aluminum alloy and temper certificates

• Glass certificates including treatment and lamination

• Sealant and gasket data with compatibility statements

• Finish specification and coating warranty

Quality and installation

• Manufacturer quality system certification

• Proposed installation method statement

• Field testing proposal to AAMA 501.2 or ASTM E1105

• Erection records and site verification procedures

Practical Points That Cause Delays

Four recurring issues on Philippine facade submittals.

Overseas engineering seals. Calculations sealed only by an engineer not licensed locally are frequently returned for local review. Resolving this at tender saves weeks.

Test reports at insufficient pressure. A report demonstrating performance at 300 Pa does not evidence a facade designed for considerably higher pressures. The report must relate to the project.

Generic system documentation. Reports and drawings for a similar system rather than the one quoted. This is the single most common cause of rejection.

Corrosion specification. Coastal sites across the archipelago sit at high atmospheric corrosivity under ISO 12944, frequently C4 or C5-M. Fixings should be grade 316 stainless rather than 304, and coating specification should reflect the exposure.

Erection records and site verification matter here too, since documentation requirements continue through construction rather than ending at approval.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Which wind code governs curtain wall design in the Philippines?

The National Structural Code of the Philippines, with NSCP 2015 widely referenced. Its wind provisions follow a methodology closely aligned with ASCE 7, using mapped basic wind speeds by zone together with exposure category, importance factor, and topographic effects.

2. Is laminated glass required for Philippine curtain walls?

Often in practice, and always worth specifying on high-rise work. Tempered glass alone leaves the opening when it breaks, allowing internal pressurization that can cascade into further facade failure. Laminated glass retains the pane and maintains the envelope through the storm.

3. Does the structural engineer need to be licensed in the Philippines?

Generally yes for submittal approval. Calculations carrying only an overseas engineer's seal are frequently returned for local review and countersigning, so the arrangement should be settled at tender rather than at submittal stage.

4. What water testing is expected on typhoon-exposed projects?

Static testing to ASTM E331 as a minimum, commonly at pressures above the usual 20% of design. Dynamic testing to AAMA 501.1 should be treated as standard rather than optional, and cyclic testing to ASTM E547 is specified on demanding projects.

5. What is the most common reason a facade submittal is rejected?

Documentation for a similar system rather than the one being supplied. Test reports, calculations, and drawings must all describe the actual quoted system at the actual project pressures, and reviewers in this market check that correspondence carefully.

Assembling the Package

Start from the wind analysis, since every other document references it. Confirm the engineering seal arrangement early. Commission testing at pressures that reflect the project rather than a generic minimum. Specify laminated glass for retention. Then check that every report and drawing describes the system actually being supplied.

Submittal rejection on a facade package costs weeks, and almost all of it is avoidable at tender stage.

PRANCE manufactures curtain wall systems with in-house structural engineering, project-specific wind analysis, accredited test documentation, and technical documentation support for regional submittal requirements. Send your project location, wind data, and specification and request a submittal package review.