Research is an essential part of innovation. Our industry has seen an increased interest in research over the last fifteen years, driven by the multifaceted challenges facing our profession—environmental concerns, increasing complexity in building design and construction, necessity to improve...
Being part of the European Façade Network efn, an association of ten research and education entities throughout Europe, I would like to share my experiences of last year’s conferences and research activities with this brief contribution.
Globalization in the construction industry has brought about new demands for buildings and construction projects, new demands that still need to take…
The concept of research has been hashed and rehashed by the architectural profession for decades, but the dialogue has failed to provide a systemic platform for implementation. Akšamija cuts through the confusion and controversy like a sharp blade through soft fruit in a book released last month.
Architectural design freedom achieved on high-end projects currently costs over $1,000/sq. Ft. Building materials have long been relegated to plane s…
With the advent of more sophisticated analysis methods and the desire to optimize geometries of structural silicone joints in high performance design…
The 9th annual Building Innovation conference will take place September 27 – 29, 2021.
This issue of SKINS will attempt to introduce you to composite materials in an accurate, useful and fairly in-depth way. But it’s only an introduction; it’s a start but by no means a rigorous exploration of the full potential of this remarkable material technology.
Anisotropy is also known as Brewster marks, quench marks, strain pattern, leopard spots, Iridescence, etc. Although anisotropy is inevitable when hea…
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the building sector is critical to limiting global temperature rise to less than 1.5⁰C. Construction and build…
Stainless steel has been successfully used in building envelopes since the completion of the Chrysler building in 1928. Today, it is used as both a s…
Multilayer design technique in metal facades is introduced in this paper. Generally, in this technique, a metal facade is designed in the fourth laye…
A common building upgrade to add value to existing commercial real estate is the renewal of the entrance lobby. The lobby facade is replaced to give …
Photovoltaics (PV) have been utilized in buildings for decades, especially in Europe where legislative support has largely driven the market. With ne…
Advanced fabrication processes combined with parametric 3D modeling give designers and architects the freedom and versatility to push the boundaries …
There were good why reasons early US Modernism first evolved in California– wide open sites with no constraints (physical or zoning), and effectively…
The Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California features an extremely diverse set of facade systems within one…
During the postwar era, and before the universal adoption of air-conditioning in the United States, leading architects participated in the design of …
Kinetic responsive systems are gaining attention in architectural applications, to reduce the building’s energy consumption and environmental impact,…
The design of complex, high-performance facades involves balancing attention towards principles of material selection, thermal and moisture protectio…