Specialty Partition Systems
Image Series glass walls, true curved systems, Vision partitions, and work surfaces — specialty products that expand what operable partitions can do.
Beyond the Standard Wall
Advanced Equipment's specialty product line gives architects and facility planners tools that go far beyond a standard operable wall — from folding glass systems that flood spaces with natural light, to the industry's only true curved steel panel system, to integrated work surfaces that turn any room into a functional workspace.
Every specialty product is built on the same all-welded steel platform and backed by the same warranties that have defined Advanced Equipment's quality for over 60 years.
Image Series (Glass Walls)
Folding glass operable partitions that bring natural light and visual openness to divisible spaces. Available in manual or electric operation with single or double glazed panels.
- No floor track required; available for certain applications
- Heights up to 30 feet
- Panel widths: folding 60", single 96", slider 180"
- Single or double glazed
- Welded tube steel frame
- Manual or electric operation
- Tnemec, powdercoat, and wood finish options
Curved Panel Systems
The only manufacturer with true curved track and curved steel panels — giving designers a space division option that follows the architecture of the room, not the other way around.
- True curved track at custom radius
- Curved steel panels to match track geometry
- Flat and curved panels combinable in same system
- Manual or electric operation
- Electrically operated elements store in narrow pocket
- Unique architectural design possibilities
Vision Partitions
An electrically operated, all-steel projection screen shield. The way to open a presentation with impact — the panels move together to reveal the screen at the touch of a button.
- Integrated projection screen capability
- Electric operation standard
- All-steel welded panels
- Compatible with AV and projection systems
- Standard and custom finishes
Unique & Custom Finishes
Beyond standard fabric and vinyl — specialty finish options including mirrors, custom laminates, and high-end decorative surfaces that turn operable partitions into architectural features.
- Mirror panel faces
- Custom laminates and decorative surfaces
- High-gloss and specialty coatings
- Brand-matched color programs
- Hospitality and retail-grade finishes
When a standard straight-line partition is the wrong answer
Most operable walls are a straight line of flat panels, and for most rooms that is correct. The systems on this page exist for the rooms where it is not — where the plan is curved, where the division has to be transparent, where the wall is protecting a projection screen rather than dividing an audience, or where the panel itself has to do a second job. They are all built on the same track, drive and engineering as the rest of the line, so a specialty run and a conventional run can share one project and one set of details.
Curved systems. Advanced Equipment is the only manufacturer offering both true curved track and curved steel panels — not straight panels chorded around an arc, but panels formed to the radius, running on track of the same radius. That distinction is the whole product. OSRAM Sylvania's Technical Center in Danvers, Massachusetts, designed by Design Plus, runs an electric bi-parting curved system with ALPHA 'S' panels on #4 curved track, finished in custom powder-coat trim with standard fabric. i2 Technologies chose ALPHA 'P' perforated, sound-absorptive panels for its 715 SF curved installation — so the arc is doing acoustic work as well as geometric work. And Vacheron Constantin's Miami boutique, completed in 2025, uses a 260 SF electric curved ALPHA 'S' system with integrated lighting, where silent movement mattered as much as the curve. Details on curved panel systems.
Glass divisions. Image Series puts full glass lites in a welded tube steel frame at heights to 30 feet, top-hung, with no floor track required on most applications. San Diego Central Library runs 2,277 SF of IMAGE 'J' as an exterior bi-parting electric partition on #6 track — Tucker Sadler Architects, built by Turner Construction. Costa Rica's Asamblea Legislativa uses the same panel manually, center-stacked in a walnut wood clad frame so it disappears into the wood-panelled legislative hall when the chamber opens. Same product, opposite operation, completely different rooms. Full detail on operable glass walls.
Vision. Vision is not a room divider. It is an electrically operated shield for a projection screen — a top-supported steel track system running under microprocessor and sensor control, with all-steel welded panels that move simultaneously and sit coplanar when closed and extended. The point is that a permanently installed screen in a room that is also used for other things gets protected without anyone building a cabinet around it. Toyota's Calty Design Center in Newport Beach has run a 225 SF electric bi-parting Vision system since 1991, delivering that protection in a space where the finish standard is as high as it gets. See Vision projection screen shields.
Work surfaces and access. Two smaller specialties round out the category and both solve furniture problems rather than wall problems. Work surfaces integrate into the panel so a divided room does not need tables carried in for it. Pass doors and pocket doors let people cross a closed division without opening it — pass doors built into the run, matching panel finish and thickness and fabricated to ADA, and pocket doors concealing the stack with the same materials, finish, thickness and acoustical qualities as the panels themselves.
The reason to bring a specialty requirement to us early is that these systems change the structure, not just the schedule. A curved run needs curved track set to a radius that has to be agreed before the ceiling is framed. A 30-foot glass division is top-hung, so the steel above it carries the load and has to be designed with the wall. Vision needs its sensors and processor coordinated with the AV package. None of that is difficult; all of it is expensive to retrofit. Generate a project-specific specification with our six-step guide or straight from DWspec®.
Advanced Equipment designs, manufactures, and installs its own systems, family owned since 1957, building in Fullerton, California with a second location in Woodinville, Washington. The specialty projects on this page span 1991 to 2025 — the Calty Design Center Vision system has been in service for over three decades. Tell us what the room has to do.
Specialty systems at a glance
Questions about specialty partitions
Is a curved operable wall really curved, or straight panels around an arc?
Genuinely curved. We are the only manufacturer offering both true curved track and curved steel panels — panels formed to the radius, running on track of the same radius, rather than flat panels chorded around a curve. OSRAM Sylvania's Technical Center runs electric bi-parting curved ALPHA 'S' panels on #4 curved track.
Can a curved partition also be acoustically absorptive?
Yes. i2 Technologies specified ALPHA 'P' perforated, sound-absorptive panels for its 715 SF curved installation, so the arc does acoustic work as well as geometric work. Absorptive faces are available to NRC 0.65 — and note that NRC describes absorption within a room, which is a different question from the NIC and STC that describe sound stopped between rooms. See STC, NIC and NRC explained.
Is Vision a room divider?
No — it is an electrically operated shield for a projection screen. A top-supported steel track system under microprocessor and sensor control, with all-steel welded panels that move simultaneously and sit coplanar when closed and extended. It protects a permanently installed screen in a room used for other things, without building a cabinet around it. Toyota's Calty Design Center has run one since 1991.
How tall can a glass division be, and does it need a floor track?
Image Series is engineered to 30 feet in a welded tube steel frame, and most applications need no floor track at all — it is top-hung, so the structure above carries the load. San Diego Central Library runs 2,277 SF of it as an exterior bi-parting electric partition; the Asamblea Legislativa in Costa Rica runs the same panel manually, center-stacked. Full detail on operable glass walls.
Can people cross a closed partition without opening it?
Yes — that is what pass doors are for. They are built into the panel run, match the panel finish and thickness, and are fabricated to comply with ADA, with options including panic hardware, a keyed deadlock, a concealed closer with hold-open, and a self-illuminating exit sign. Pocket doors are the related item: they conceal the stored stack in the same materials, finish, thickness and acoustical qualities as the panels.
Can a specialty run and a conventional run share one project?
Yes, and they often do. Every specialty system is built on the same track, drive and engineering as the rest of the line, so one manufacturer supplies one integrated set of details. Savannah Convention Center pairs steel panels with Image glass in the same building; BAC Solarium pairs glass and solid GAMMA panels in the same room.
Why do you want to hear about a specialty requirement early?
Because these systems change the structure, not just the schedule. Curved track has to be set to a radius agreed before the ceiling is framed. A 30-foot glass division is top-hung, so the steel above it must be designed with the wall. Vision needs its sensors and processor coordinated with the AV package. None of it is difficult, all of it is expensive to retrofit.
How long do these actually last?
The Calty Design Center Vision system has been in service since 1991 — over three decades. Our all-welded steel panels carry up to a 20-year limited panel warranty, and maintenance and service life covers what determines the rest.
Have a Unique Requirement?
Our specialty products are engineered to solve architectural challenges that standard systems can't. Let's talk about your project.