Curtain wall (architecture)A curtain wall is an outer covering of a building in which the outer walls are non-structural, designed only to keep the weather out and the people in. Because the curtain wall façade carries no structural load beyond its own dead load weight, it can be made of lightweight materials. The wall transfers lateral wind loads upon it to the main building structure through connections at floors or columns of the building. Curtain walls may be designed as "systems" integrating frame, wall panel, and weatherproofing materials.
DissipationIn thermodynamics, dissipation is the result of an irreversible process that affects a thermodynamic system. In a dissipative process, energy (internal, bulk flow kinetic, or system potential) transforms from an initial form to a final form, where the capacity of the final form to do thermodynamic work is less than that of the initial form. For example, transfer of energy as heat is dissipative because it is a transfer of energy other than by thermodynamic work or by transfer of matter, and spreads previously concentrated energy.
Congress of ColombiaInfobox legislature |name=Congress of the Republic of Colombia |native_name= |native_name_lang=es |transcription_name= |legislature= 9th Congress of Colombia |coa_pic= |coa_res= |coa_alt= |coa_caption= Seals of the Senate (left) and the Chamber of Representatives (right) |house_type=Bicameral |body= |jurisdiction= |houses=SenateChamber of Representatives |term_limits= |foundation= |disbanded= |leader1_type=President of the Senate |leader1=Iván Name |party1=(Green Alliance) |election1= |leader2_type=Presiden
FortificationA fortification is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin fortis ("strong") and facere ("to make"). From very early history to modern times, defensive walls have often been necessary for cities to survive in an ever-changing world of invasion and conquest. Some settlements in the Indus Valley Civilization were the first small cities to be fortified.
ColombiaColombia (kəˈlʌmbiə, -ˈlɒm-; koˈlombja), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country mostly in South America with insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuela to the east and northeast, Brazil to the southeast, Ecuador and Peru to the south and southwest, the Pacific Ocean to the west, and Panama to the northwest. Colombia is divided into 32 departments. The Capital District of Bogotá is also the country's largest city hosting the main financial and cultural hub.
