Building Facade Manufacturing Technologies
The building façade segment is one of the modern technology adopters of the construction industry. With technological advancements, façade manufacturing has evolved significantly, combining traditional methods with cutting-edge innovations to meet the growing demands of sustainable and high-performance buildings. This article illustrates some of the ongoing trends and successful use of modern technologies in the façade industry.
Manufacturing Technologies
Digital Fabrications
Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machines have revolutionized façade panel production. These technologies ensure precision in cutting and shaping complex designs, making it easier to implement intricate patterns, lightweight structures, and custom panel shapes. Accuracy of fabrication largely improved results in better and high-quality products. Another aspect is laser cutting techniques for metal sheet fabrications, which help enhance building interesting architectural screens, patterns, etc.
3D Printing
Like many other industries where 3D printing is making a positive impact, for façades the 3D printing techniques use additive and metal printing helping in both prototyping and actual productions.
In particular to the façade industry, wherein we create various customized design solutions, that may require simple verifications and visualization. 3D printing offers greater help in cost-effective and quicker solutions.
Advancements In Glass Processing
The current trend in building architecture is using extra-large glass panes, called Jumbo glasses. The advancement of glass processing machinery makes it possible to use glass of unthinkable sizes, and complex shapes, making architects hungry for more innovative designs. Inspired by Apple glass façades built in modern times, curtain wall panels for office buildings started using full-height glass, large modulations, and lesser divisions, helping the high-rise buildings to be more iconic. Large panels with lesser glazing modulation help enhance building aesthetics and help in user experiences. Large glass panels much bigger than 4m in length are often called Jumbo size glasses. The trend towards using jumbo-sized glass panels in building façades has gained considerable momentum due to its ability to create visually impactful and seamless architectural features. This trend is supported by advancements in glass manufacturing technologies that allow for larger, more resilient, and more functional glass panels.
Prefabrication And Modular Systems
Prefabrication techniques are gaining popularity for façade manufacturing. Panels are produced off-site in controlled environments, ensuring consistency and reducing on-site construction time. A centralized factory-based fabrication significantly improves overall quality, and timelines, and is highly economical. The pre-fabrication approach helps the façade contractors to better control their outcome and leads to a positive impact on overall projects.
Building Façade Materials
New-generation building materials focused on high-performance, sustainable, and low Carbon. We are experiencing an evolution of technologies for façade materials, fabrications, finishes, etc. One such example is Switchable glass (Dynamic) colour changes as per sunlight, an interesting glass product with multi-functional which has been implemented in several recent projects. Integration of solar modules on façade (Building Integrated Photo Voltaic – BIPV) is a smart technology that has been explored on various architectural elements such as sunshades, fins, roofs, etc. Façade materials play a major role in this aspect, focus is to reduce embodied carbon by using green energy in material manufacturing. A good design approach is to find a holistic building design right from architecture to construction to reduce carbon footprint. Various local materials are being explored for use in building such as bamboo in constructions, composites high strength fibres, etc. Several engineered materials are commonly used to achieve low-carbon aspirations such as green glass, green sealants, etc., These low-carbon materials help in achieving very high levels of sustainable, green ratings, helping several business models.
3D Printed Façade Panels
Façade cladding uses various pre-finished products, consisting of processed materials or cast or fabricated components. The prefabricated concept of façade fabrications is further being explored with the use of 3D printing technologies. Various countries have demonstrated large façade panels made using 3D printing process and are able to achieve high quality and high strength products such as lightweight concrete panels, UHPC, GRC, etc.
Switchable Glass
Electrochromic or switchable glass can control the light and heat in the interior spaces with the user controls. The latest technology in specialist glass products eliminates the need for shades or internal blinds to the glass façades. All glass units on the façades are connected through wires to the building maintenance system (BMS), hence the users can control the daylight passing the glass façades as low as 10% to higher range of above 60% light transmissions.
Engineered Local Materials
India has vast resources of natural materials, we are seeing increasing awareness of engineered products using local materials such as Engineered wood, Engineered brick, Bamboo, Stones, etc. Various technologies are helping to enhance these natural materials with improved characteristics so that they can be used for wider building applications.
Innovative Façade Designs – Media Façades
Media screens are used for display, interactions and several commercial purposes. LED integrated façade screens are getting popular with the advancement of lighting technologies. Sizes can vary from as small as a window glass pane to large sizes such as 20 meters. These screens are highly versatile, expandable, and come in modular formats. Integrating the screen media façades is commonly adopted for several parts of the building façade such as entrances, retail, and parking levels. signages, etc.
One such example is Wing Tower, Cambodia lighting designs. A very large screen (16m x 16m) has been integrated into a commercial building parking floor façades of Wing Tower.
Media screen involves several trades that require an integrated approach right from lighting, electrical, mechanical, structural, façades etc., Hence these aspects require careful consideration at the early design stage itself. If this is not a well-thought-out solution, i.e., an ad-hoc approach may lead to poor implementation, shorter life span, frequent maintenance etc., and eventually impact the overall building aesthetics and values.
Building façades is one of the fascinating industry boldly adopt the latest technologies, innovations, and trends. Various inspirational designs are getting implemented and made in the real world, with improved confidence levels using human skills and machinery. There are no limits really to implementing any complex designs right from design techniques, materials, fabrications, and
