Tillmann Klein

Façades 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, façades 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 façade functions. This book demonstrates the principles of façade construction. It systematically describes the most common types, such as post-and-beam façade, curtain wall, corridor façade or double façade, 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.

Introduction to building façades as revised editionFaçades 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, façades 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 façade functions. This book demonstrates the principles of façade construction. It systematically describes the most common types, such as post-and-beam façade, curtain wall, corridor façade or double façade, 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 Façades” offers insights into what’s next.

Facades determine the appearance of a building. Thus they have a very important role to play in architecture. At the same time, the building envelope has important functions to fulfill, including lighting, weatherproofing, thermal isolation, load distribution, and sound insulation, to name only the most important. In the last fifteen years, facades have become significantly more complex. For example, "intelligent," climate-active facades use self-regulating systems to respond to changing light and weather conditions.This book demonstrates the principles of facade construction. Guidelines are suggested for good detailing. The installation procedures are described for the most common materials –glass, wood, steel, concrete, and aluminum. Numerous drawings made specially for the book explain the principles of the individual types of facade which are then illustrated with built examples.