- see abstracts below -_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Ajla Aksamija • Suncica Milosevic • Gabrielle Brainard • Timothy Brown
This paper presents the results of a research study, outlining the state of facades education at higher-education institutions across the United States. The objective was to identify coursework focusing on facades (or enclosure systems) and analyze how these courses relate to the overall curricula, educational objectives, and teaching methods at various universities.
The study began by identifying universities that offer facade-related courses, and by administering a survey. The survey asked participants to identify facade-related courses in their institutions, provide the course names and numbers, and indicate the course level, course format, and the relation of the course to the overall curriculum. Subsequently, syllabi were requested from instructors for each of the identified courses. Of the 70 originally identified courses among both the U.S. and Canadian higher-education institutions, detailed information and course syllabi were collected for 36 courses offered by U.S. programs that represent 22 higher education institutions and 23 NAAB accredited programs.
The next step of the research study involved quantitative and qualitative analysis of the submitted syllabi. The collected information was classified into different categories, including geographic regions, program type, course format, whether the courses are offered as part of a professional program, identification of topics that are covered in various classes, learning outcomes, and course assessment methods. The study found that facades have been increasingly integrated into building technology lecture courses and integrated design studios, but that standalone courses with primary focus on facade-related topics remain few and are primarily offered as elective and graduate level courses. This paper provides detailed results of the study and offers recommendations on how the breadth and depth of facade course offerings in the U.S. can be expanded and improved.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Damon Caldwell
The architectural facade, like clothing for a building's form, serves as both an aesthetic expression and a protective veil, concealing the inner mechanisms. Analogous to the meticulous craftsmanship defining clothing quality, the facade's integrity rests upon material choices and precision in assembly.
In architectural education, the proliferation of parametric tools and the allure of visual images often lead students to conceive visually striking facades that lack a depth of constructed knowledge. This is accentuated by students' limited familiarity with construction intricacies. Bridging this knowledge gap through the collaboration of students and experienced building industry professionals is pivotal in nurturing the next generation of architectural leaders.
This paper explains an approach wherein students gain invaluable technical insight by engaging in ongoing interaction with a seasoned facade consultant. Our professional degree program unfolds over a year-long timeline, dedicated to the conception and evolution of a single building project. This extended duration facilitates comprehensive exploration of structural systems and tectonic integration. A consultant from Heintges Building Envelope Consultants actively guides the studio through multi-day sessions at diverse project stages, thereby integrating façade development early and thoroughly into the process.
The consultancy framework unfolds across three distinct phases. During schematic design, the consultant acquaints students with the multifaceted contributions of facade experts. Basic material considerations are deliberated upon, along with their implications on form and sustainability. As the design advances, the facade consultant returns, accompanied by a structural engineer. This juncture permits students to expand their initial facade visions to encompass the intricacies of building and facade structural dynamics. In the culminating stages, when students are engrossed in crafting intricate large-scale facade sections, the consultant's input is paired with the involvement of a mechanical engineer, fostering an augmented awareness of energy efficiency and holistic sustainability.
By fostering an educational paradigm that leverages industry expertise, students develop a profound appreciation for the myriad perspectives that contribute to a building's success. They emerge not merely as graduates, but as adept professionals who collaborate harmoniously with the diverse talents present in real-world construction scenarios.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Bodhisatta Hajra, John Phillips
A façade, which is also called a ‘secondary structural system’, typically separates the exterior from the interior of a building. In recent times, there has been an increase in the use of facades made up of different materials, such as aluminum, glass, stone, vinyl, and sheet metal. Building facades are exposed to environmental loads such as wind, seismic, thermal, rain and snow loads. Furthermore, facades such as curtain walls, are aesthetically pleasing and if properly designed, can prevent heat losses, leading to energy efficient buildings. Traditionally, most courses in civil and architectural engineering across the United States and other parts of the world, focus primarily on structural design of steel, concrete, and timber, which are largely used in constructing main frame load- bearing members. Due to the lack of a formal course and textbooks in façade design, graduates in civil or architectural engineering find it rather difficult to design facades while working in the industry. This requires industries to provide additional training to recent graduates before they can work on façade design projects. To close this ‘knowledge gap’, the authors at the School of Architecture (SOA), Oklahoma State University (OSU) decided to develop a new course titled ‘façade design’. As part of this endeavor, students from the SOA that included architects and architectural engineers, were asked to fill out a questionnaire to obtain their views about a prospective course in façade design. After receiving positive feedback from the students which was very encouraging, the authors decided to develop the façade design course, that currently includes several topics of structural engineering and building science applied to façade design. The course was successfully developed in the Fall of 2023 and was recently offered in Spring 2024 to both students of architecture and architectural engineering. Currently, the SOA offers accredited programs in architectural engineering and architecture, which share several courses that include engineering, management, and studio-based courses. It is anticipated that the introduction of the façade design course could potentially see future students serve the industry with enhanced knowledge in façade design. This article presents the stages of development, content, and structure of the course, besides discussing the contribution of this course to the programs at the SOA and the architectural engineering community at large.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Leah Kemp
Small towns are dying, and it is not just because of their dwindling economies. The physical fabric of our communities is literally crumbling. A visit to most any small town today illustrates the poor condition of their downtown facades. Altered over the years due to design fads, and temporary fixes using inexpensive and inappropriate materials, has left many facades in disrepair. Although many resources, including financial incentives in the way of tax credits, are available to encourage preservation of these buildings, our small-town facades remain largely untouched and left to ruin.
Why are small town building facades not being preserved? The answer goes beyond the lack of interest and the lack of funding. Often, a small-town building owner or buyer is interested in improving the façade but has no idea how to get started on a preservation project. The knowledge gap from getting started, to obtaining tax credits and other funding, to executing the process of rehabilitating a façade seem too foreign and monumental to take on.
In response to this pervasive problem, a community design center with over 40 years of experience working in small towns has recognized this knowledge gap and developed a series of resources to preserve these building facades. “The Preservation Toolkit” is a resource to help users get started on executing preservation-based projects. This free, digitally interactive, and user-friendly resource covers a wide range of topics to make façade preservation achievable.
An additional resource created by the design center is geared toward downtown design standards for historic buildings. Created as a set of recommendations for property owners, the set of best practices includes drawings and photographs of typical small town, downtown structures, noting their scale, architectural styles and features. It also highlights case studies of improper construction versus proper construction in an easy-to-understand format. The goal of both sets of resources is to appeal to the average small town building owner or future buyer to make preservation accessible and understandable in a way that encourages more preservation of small-town building facades, ultimately reversing the trend of both physical and economic decline in these communities.
______________________________________________________________________________________