Façade Design
Green walls and roofs mitigate the heat island effect
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A Guide to Comprehensive Façade Design
n architecture, façades can be considered as visual gateways to buildings. In addition to providing a watertight enclosure, façades also control the amount of natural lighting, ventilation and thermal protection. Façades greatly influence the aesthetics of buildings and can also have a huge impact on their energy efficiency, lifespan and ease of maintenance. Here are some parameters to consider while designing façades and fenestrations so they can create an incessant dialogue with the surroundings as well as the observer, in addition to being energy-efficient and sustainable.
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WFM | JAN - FEB 2022
COMMUNICATING FAÇADES When considering building designs that communicate with its surroundings, façades have to be regarded with a keen design eye and sensitive outlook, as they are what first catches the attention of the spectator and sets the tone for the rest of the building. They can be often misinterpreted as static emotionless walls embracing trendy silhouettes and flashy materials, with little regard to how they engage the observer or the adjacent context. A wiser approach may be to develop skillfully crafted façades that borrow references from their
immediate surroundings to create a meaningful expression, forging strong links between the building, its function, location and the user. Whether the building embraces and enhances its context or stands out is up to the masterful eye of the designer. An iconic façade is often desired, but it must also consider human scale and be interpreted as part of the urban fabric. It should be just as enjoyable a spatial experience when approached at street level as it is when seen from a distance. There are many ways to achieve this, such as emulating dynamics of the surrounding street grid, or drawing from spatial
