Facade Tectonics SKINS

In hot pursuit of nothing: Leveraging the facade system for net-zero-carbon

As sustainability goals become more urgent, the performance of building skins must be leveraged and understood in context with the whole building. When traditional design methods fall short in balancing the dizzying variables that go into net-zero carbon design, where can we find the proper tools for complex problem-solving? An answer may be gleaned from taking a wider vantage point and re-considering the wealth of information and tools available today.

Hello! In this edition of SKINS, we’re expanding on the themes of our January issue by taking a broader view of how façades impact both operational and embodied carbon in buildings. In other words, not just looking at materials but also the design process itself. Today’s demanding performance requirements and ambitious sustainability targets call for unprecedented levels of complexity and functionality in building skins. Traditional design methods simply can’t handle the holistic consideration of the complex—and often conflicting—relationships between design variables. Designers must evolve to provide faster and more effective solutions to increasingly complex and ambiguous problems as we approach major global sustainability milestones.

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