Getting the most value from your facade engineer

It is the facade of a building that brings an architect’s vision to life, however a building’s skin not only contributes to architectural expression, it also plays a large role in the performance of the building as a whole.

Globally, clients are becoming more demanding concerning the solutions they want from their buildings and facades. They want better-performing, more aesthetically pleasing facades and these requirements have to be delivered quickly and cost effectively while Building Facade.

Building Facade

façade is one of the key influences that determine the value, commercial success and project risk of a building, but it is also one of the most common sources of building failure.

Few people realise how complex a façade system can be. In a typical 30 storey building, for example, there will be approximately 18,000 sq m of façade. This will consist of approximately 3,000 panels, with each panel having approximately 300 parts that are constructed from various materials.

This example adds up to nearly a million parts for the façade alone, so it’s no wonder that things can go wrong if proper control isn’t in place. Some of the diverse conditions that a façade needs to accommodate include wind speeds that can go above 100 k/ph, temperature differences, and associated thermal expansion of up to 80°C, plus they must resist rain, humidity, mould and even seismic activity and lightning.

Besides being designed for all of the above external conditions, a façade on a tall building also needs to be able to accommodate a structure that moves and deflects all of this while continuing to look good. In short, it is a complex machine and should not be trusted to inexperience.

Building Facade Crowne Plaza Singapore Facade Engineering at Crowne Plaza Hotel Singapore

Within the boundaries of the fees available, façade engineers need to be smart with the solutions they offer. It is the job of a façade engineer to find the technologies and systems to make the client requirements possible. As a very minimum, they must offer safe, buildable, durable solutions that fit into the client’s budget.

Sometimes delivering optimum service means delivering difficult messages to the clients. As with any type of highly technical engineering solution, one gets what they pay for when it comes to façade design and installation.

Importance Of Facade Engineering in Building Facade

Facade engineers need to be brought in at the early stages of a project to understand what the client’s aspirations are and what they can afford, so that the engineers can assess different solutions and determine what performance requirements are needed for building facade.

In this way, the project proceeds smoothly with all parties fully informed. A façade engineer’s obligations extend much further than delivering a technical service. An engineer must understand the entire development process and the fact that delaying a building project will have financial implications for a developer. The engineers therefore have an obligation to provide good technical advice and keep a project moving forward.

Make sure that the façade engineer has appropriate experience, understands the project’s aspirations and understands how a project is developed. No developer will ever be thankful for achieving a small, non-critical technical win if the result is that the project is delivered late.

Crown Plaza Hotel, Singapore

Building Facade at Crowne Plaza Singapore Crowne Plaza Hotel, Singapore

Designed and built in only 17 months, Aurecon was engaged to advise on the design of the Crowne Plaza Hotel’s façade. The façade screen, set against the Changi Airport terminal buildings, was conceptualised as three-dimensional lace screens resembling orchid petals that could provide shade and texture for hotel rooms and public spaces.

Designed to provide a sense of peace and tranquillity for travelers, and to meet shade requirements, the material selection was key to achieving this outcome.

The lightweight screen concept required Aurecon to undertake accelerated testing of possible façade materials to verify weathering and compatibility with interfacing materials.

Ultimately, a polymer modified glass fibre reinforced gypsum compound was used to create the petals, with screed elements sculpted from visual and CAD animations of scaled samples. The modular units of screen petals were factory assembled into full floor height partitions to allow for fast on-site installation. The resulting building ‘floats’ on a filigree floral cage that filters and softens the surroundings, providing 60 per cent shading for the building.

 

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Steve Daniels

Technical Director, Façade Service Leader

Steve Daniels, Aurecon’s Global Façade Leader, has an extensive track record in façade management and consulting. He has 30 years of international experience and has worked on some of the worlds’ great façades including the Petronas Towers in Malaysia, Swiss Re and City Hall in London & the Burj Khalifa in DubaiAurecon is an engineering, design, and advisory company. With an office network extending across 27 countries, Aurecon has been involved in projects in over 80 countries across Africa, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East. Steve Daniels discusses some of the things that need to be considered to get the best out of your façades engineer.

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