Facade Tectonics SKINS

SKINS: Issue #132: February 2023

2023 Vitruvian Awards

Consistent with the Façade Tectonic Institute’s (FTI) mission strategy of bridging the silos of the fragmented building industry and bringing everyone together in a common dialogue, the Vitruvian Honors & Awards (VH&A) program includes a broad array of award categories that span industry sectors. As a non-profit, free of the constraints of commercial interests and niche industry advocacy, FTI is optimally positioned to pursue a mission that puts the pursuit of sustainability in buildings and urban habitats ahead of all else.

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Featured
Historic Preservation

History

Sustainability and Historic Preservation

The National Institute of Building Sciences developed the Whole Building Design Guide to advance high-performing buildings. Sustainable historic preservation is included in the guide.

Learn More.

tall building

Sustainability

10 of South America’s Most Sustainable Buildings

Sustainability is influencing design around the world. Architectural projects in South America exemplify this design trend.

Read On.

sand

Sustainability

Sustainable Building & Construction in Africa

In developing sustainable building solutions for the global north, we may take lessons from the south. The Collaborating Centre on Sustainable Consumption and Production, an international nonprofit, addresses Africa.

Be Inspired.

worker with yellow helmet

Practice and process

Retrofit Guide

Designers of retrofit projects aim to improve energy efficiency. The U.S. Department of Energy offers guidance.

Find Out More.

skyscrapers sunset

SKINS

Innovative Facades for Sustainable Architecture

Dr. Lucio Bandini, Werner Sobek Stuttgart, addresses embodied and operational carbon with six innovative case studies.

Read the Paper.

Previously Featured

SKINS

Looking Back at the 2022 World Congress

The 2022 World Congress was special in many ways, but first on everyone’s list was the opportunity to be together on October 12 and 13 in Los Angeles. Our previous World Congress in 2020 was held online due to the global pandemic. For the 2022 World Congress, we wanted to give our members and attendees an opportunity to meet in person, attend inspirational keynotes and peer-reviewed paper presentations, participate in special sessions, network, and meet new and old friends.

Read On.

Innovation

Rethinking Building Skins

Authors and educators Eugenia Gasparri, Arianna Brambilla, Gabriele Lobaccaro, Francesco Goia, Annalisa Andaloro, and Alberto Sangiorgio address the major challenges and opportunities ahead for the construction (and façade) sector, with a focus on product and process innovations.

Read More.

SKINS

Plant-based Architecture and Living Facades: The Intersection of Biology and the Building Skin

A question for architects and the building industry: Can our cities be part of the solution to the challenges facing humanity, or are they intrinsically and inevitably a big part of the problem? To move beyond the latter demands nothing less than a radical shift in the way we think about buildings. Let’s pull on this thread for a minute.

More from Mic.

Performance

Thermal Bridging and Building Facades

Ivan Lee, a Building Science Consultant at Morrison Hershfield, recognizes the importance of mitigating thermal bridging to meet low energy targets for buildings. He points out that many jurisdictions are starting to incorporate thermal bridging into their codes and standards, and both ASHRAE 90.1 and IECC will likely include thermal bridging requirements in their next update cycles. It is time for designers to pay more attention to thermal bridging in façade design.

Want to Know More.

2023 MEMBERSHIP - SIGN UP NOW

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Organizational Members of the Facade Tectonics Institute

Partners

Technoform North America

Executives

Kuraray, Permasteelisa Group, REFLECTION WINDOW + WALL, seele, TriPyramid Structures

Associates

Finishing Contractors Association, HOK, Lerch Bates, Valmont Structures, Vitro Architectural Glass, WRNS Studio, W&W Glass

Supporters

Antamex Industries, FreMarq Innovations Inc, Heintges, KEPCO+, Morrison Hershfield now Stantec, Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope, Roschmann Steel & Glass Constructions, Schüco USA, Simpson Gumpertz & Heger, SOCOTEC, Inc., The Architect's Newspaper, The Façade Studio

Academics / Nonprofits

Aarhus University, Denmark, IIBEC, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, National Fenestration Rating Council, Rainscreen Association in North America, Universidad de Concepción, University of Utah, Western Wall & Ceiling Contractors Association