28 results

  • Facade Maintenance Access

    Facades are an architectural feature and an integral part of the building enclosure. To ensure that the facades continue their function, they must be…

  • Orbit Tower

    While most of high-rise buildings feature a core surrounded by a spatial frame defining the volume, one could envision a column-free plan where the p…

  • Transitions Between Diverse Envelope Systems

    The Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California features an extremely diverse set of facade systems within one…

  • Iconic Buildings featured image

    Iconic Buildings

    The iconic building principal incentive is to be visually attractive or stand out, for this purpose three main features must be accomplished: have a …

  • Ceramic Precast Composite Panels featured image

    Ceramic Precast Composite Panels

    An innovative lightweight ceramic precast composite panel is introduced in this paper that offers the unique benefits of prefabricated off-site const…

  • Renewing Historic Facades featured image

    Renewing Historic Facades

    As the first phase of a $4 billion dollar, 180-acre, 60 building government preservation project in Washington DC, this case study reviews the envelo…

  • Renewing Two Saarinen Icons featured image

    Renewing Two Saarinen Icons

    Kresge Auditorium and the MIT Chapel, designed by Eero Saarinen and built in 1955, are both world renowned works of architecture and powerful symbols…

  • A Compact, Unitized Double Skin Facade

    Driven by an increasing demand for high thermal and acoustic performance, transparency, and low maintenance costs, a number of facade innovations hav…

  • Daylighting Post-Occupancy Evaluation Study featured image

    Daylighting Post-Occupancy Evaluation Study

    Daylighting is a key strategy to energy efficiency and improved occupant comfort, health, and productivity in buildings. However, providing desired a…

  • Facade with Innovation featured image

    Facade with Innovation

    Shanshui City and Star Bund Center can be considered as representative projects of RFR Shanghai recently Both provide creative solutions for complex …

  • Thermal Analysis of Complex Glazing

    The use of bidirectional scattering distribution function incorporated in a transient systems simulation program, allows engineers to accurately dete…

  • Curved Forming Panel Facades featured image

    Curved Forming Panel Facades

    The performative and visual aspects of curved forming/bending thin “formable” planar materials is explored. Early tests for deflection indicate that …

  • Thermal Stress Analysis in Glass

    The use of glass in windows and curtain walls in residential as well as in commercial buildings needs to be designed very carefully. In addition to t…

  • 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,…

  • United States Olympic and Paralympic Museum featured image

    United States Olympic and Paralympic Museum

    Advanced fabrication processes combined with parametric 3D modeling give designers and architects the freedom and versatility to push the boundaries …

  • The Versatile Envelope Garden

    Facades play an integral role in defining the experience of modern life. As rising populations gravitate from rural to urban communities, they bring …

  • Detailing For Distance

    Quickly exceeding new facade service life expectations for tall buildings imposed by increasing environmental, economic, and social pressures have cr…

  • DC Water Headquarters Case Study

    Facades must be responsive to a myriad of qualities and influences ranging from urban impact and aesthetic character to numerous performance requirem…

  • Designing with Photovoltaics

    Photovoltaics (PV) have been utilized in buildings for decades, especially in Europe where legislative support has largely driven the market. With ne…