Facade Engineer

[Dasun Siriwardena]

Façade Engineering

‘Facades have become complicated beyond the skills of architects, structural and mechanical engineers. Facades require a dedicated engineer with a particular range of skills and experience, who understands their behavior and can undertake their design, manufacture and installation better, more efficiently and more comprehensively than can a traditional architect, structural or mechanical engineer.’

-Society of façade engineers (cibse)

Façade is the external envelope of the building above the ground level. There are many materialized facades exists in the field such as,

• Glass
• Cladding
• Stone
• Masonry
• Curtain wall
• Other cladding types

At the stage of design and engineering a façade, there are major aspects to be considered and incorporated to the design and its specifications as follows.

• Structural steadiness and their behaviors
• Durability
• Sustainability
• Weather tightness
• Interaction with super structure
• Thermal gains and losses through the façade
• Occupant comfort and energy efficiency
• Shading
• Ventilation
• Natural lighting
• Condensation
• Fire behavior of the building envelope
• Acoustic performance
• Safety and survivability
• Security
• Maintenance and build-ability

Façade engineer’s acts in a façade project

• Designing
• Incorporate knowledge into architect’s design
• Incorporate knowledge into quantity surveyors work
• Incorporate knowledge into structural & mechanical engineer’s statics
• Involving with the surveying or diagnostic and remedial work
• Research and testing

Façade Engineer

• Overall background with architectural, structural or building physics
• Cladding skills
• Knowledge of rage of material, system performance types
• Building envelope physics
• Analytical modelling

 

Contribution of a façade engineer

• Delivering a façade that do what is required
• Excellence in design
• Risk control
• Driving cost out
• Continuity through fabrication and installation stages
• Quality control in design becomes a physical reality
• Verifying performance
• Troubleshooting

By,

Dasun Siriwardena PEng(UK) MSPE

BSc (Hons) in Construction Engineering, QS & BE, PM-(U.A.E), CSWA-Simulation

 

P.O Box. 12500, #1/45, Dias Place,

Panadura, Sri Lanka.

Mobile. [phone]

E-Mail. [e-mail]