Façades

Introduction to building fa ades as revised edition

Fa ades determine the appearance of a building. Hence, they constitute a major element in architecture. At the same time, the building's envelope has important functions to fulfil, such as lighting, weatherproofing, thermal insulation, load transfer and sound insulation. Over the past 15 years, fa ades have become increasingly complex - 'intelligent' facades, for instance, adapt to changing climate and lighting conditions. Newly developed materials and technologies have broadened the scope of fa ade functions.

This book demonstrates the principles of fa ade construction. It systematically describes the most common types, such as post-and-beam fa ade, curtain wall, corridor fa ade or double fa ade, and provides guidelines for appropriate detailing. Numerous drawings made especially for the book explain the principles of different types of facades, which are then illustrated with built examples. For this second edition, all chapters were revised and all four examples in the case studies chapter were replaced by new material. The new chapter "Future Fa ades" offers insights into what's next.