Façade design and engineering: complexity made simple

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The building facade forms the interface between outside conditions and the habitable indoor climate, where we spend most of our time. So its design and construction seriously affect the performance of our buildings in terms of sustainability, energy efficiency, aesthetics and comfort.

Facade technology has advanced rapidly in the last decades and has become a key component of the modern building process. Understanding the complexity of facade construction is crucial for architects, engineers and building professionals in order to keep control over the design and engineering processes, to keep within budgeted construction costs and to support the creation of modern looking, energy efficient, sustainable and comfortable buildings.This course will provide a first insight into facades and the technology involved in their construction, from a grounded and practical perspective. It focuses on key aspects to address the complexity of facade design and engineering: its general principles, construction systems, details and tolerances, materials, geometrical complexity, sustainability and construction site processes. Consequently, learners will gain general knowledge of facade engineering, backed with technical information, which will give them the tools to explain facadedesign decisions and their potential impact on the overall performance of the building.

TU Delft holds a leading position in the facade field, marked by 15 years of education, research and applied projects delivered in close collaboration with the built industry. Therefore, learners will benefit from an exposure to a wide array of facade experts from academia and practice. Led by U. Knaack and M. Bilow, architects and experienced educators in the field of facades, the course takes a practical approach, providing insights and providing a comprehensive picture of the complexity behind building facades. The course includes visits to building sites, architecture firms, local experts and manufacturing companies, to reveal the fundamentals of facade design with technical information directly from the source.

This course has been designed by the founding members of TU Delft's Architectural Facades & Products Research Group, in association with the European Facade Network, which comprises 10 European institutions with facade education programmes.