437 results

  • Historical Evolution of Responsive Facades

    Responsive facade system is considered a major component of high-performance building envelope that is capable of responding to environmental stimuli

  • Modelling Perimeter Heating Demand featured image

    Modelling Perimeter Heating Demand

    Thermal discomfort can occur in perimeter zones due to radiant heat loss from the occupant to a poorly insulated exterior wall. It is valuable for…
  • Kinetic Solar Envelope featured image

    Kinetic Solar Envelope

    Kinetic responsive systems are gaining attention in architectural applications, to reduce the building’s energy consumption and environmental impact,…
  • Glazed Spandrels

    Recent years have seen an increased use of insulated glazing units in spandrel applications to visually blend the appearance between the vision and

  • Window in Wall: Back to the Future featured image

    Window in Wall: Back to the Future

    In order to get to a carbon neutral building stock – which is e.g. required by the EU Carbon roadmap by 2050 – our efforts need to be smart and…
  • The Seismic Capability of Curtainwalls featured image

    The Seismic Capability of Curtainwalls

    The testing of aluminum/glass curtainwalls for seismic capability, mainly inter-story drift, has been carried out on many curtainwalls over the last…
  • The Tectonics of Flimsiness featured image

    The Tectonics of Flimsiness

    Architecture has traditionally celebrated the joining of two building components or materials. Joinery serves as a key site for architectural…
  • Translation from Concept to Construction featured image

    Translation from Concept to Construction

    Fidelity between the built enclosure and early visualizations is rarely, if ever, an accident. When achieved, it comes as the result of persistent…
  • Reflections on Views

    Lisa Heschong, a keynote speaker at the Facade Tectonics Institute’s World Congress in October, is a strong proponent for the importance of daylighting and views in all types of buildings, including this excerpt from her recent book, Visual Design in Architecture: Daylight, Vision, and View.

  • The Thermal Blanket Concept featured image

    The Thermal Blanket Concept

    This paper tells the story of a Double Skin Facade (DSF), where high performance and multi-disciplinary collaboration saves a library concept of…
  • ETFE Canopy at the Australian Embassy in Jakarta featured image

    ETFE Canopy at the Australian Embassy in Jakarta

    In 2015, Australia’s largest embassy complex in the world was built in Jakarta, Indonesia, to provide an official residence for Australia’s permanent…
  • Facade Games featured image

    Facade Games

    This paper provides an overview of a course focusing on the façade as taught to architecture students over a twenty-year period. The need for this…
  • Laminated Security Glazing

    Glass is an essential component for any type of building. Its transparency enhances daylighting and provides occupants a view to the outside. Whether…
  • Architectural Ceramic Assemblies featured image

    Architectural Ceramic Assemblies

    This paper documents a six year academia/industry collaboration between researchers at the Department of Architecture, University at Buffalo (SUNY)…
  • The Performative Double-Skin featured image

    The Performative Double-Skin

    Double-Skin Facades (DSF) are well-known to boost the thermal performance of a façade: they can provide extra insulation in the wintertime and lower…
  • More Than a Facade

    In 2014, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) approved the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI) as an accredited ANSI Standards

  • Inside the Box

    The trend towards modular and unitized facades continues to grow in popularity due largely in part to the efficiencies gained in terms of cost and