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. +94 774 298 126
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