Facades

Introduction to building facades as revised editionFacades 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, facades 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 facade functions. This book demonstrates the principles of facade construction. It systematically describes the most common types, such as post-and-beam facade, curtain wall, corridor facade or double facade, 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 Facades' offers insights into what's next.