How do you define “resilient façades” in the context of building safety, and what key principles do you believe are essential for achieving this resilience?
Resilient façades are designed with extra strength, flexibility, and movement capability. Previously, we built buildings to accommodate normal conditions. With resilient design, we design the building to survive unusual or abnormal events. Example: Recently, Houston, Texas, USA lost nearly 4000 glass units in a weather event. It may have been a tornado. If the buildings had been designed to be more resilient, the losses would have been far less.
Can you share some tips on façade design to enhance building safety and withstand various environmental challenges?
glass is impacted by a wood 2×4, the chamber pressure is cycled
many times to stress the broken glass and the support system.
The objective is to keep the damaging weather out of the build-
ing even if the glass is compromised due to impact
We can use boundary layer wind tunnel tests a little differently that we do currently. Now we design the wind pressure zones determined in the testing. For more resilience, we would increase the design pressures a percentage over and above that which was determined in the testing.
What role do innovative materials and technologies play in ensuring the resilience of façades, particularly in the face of climate change and extreme weather events?
There will always be a role for new products and technologies. However, the fundamental way to make buildings more resilient is to write it in the performance specs: Higher wind loads, greater designed inter-story movement, and greater thermal range.
How do you approach the integration of sustainable practices into façade design to enhance both resilience and environmental performance?
The things we need to do to make buildings more sustainable, which basically means kinder to the Earth runs parallel with increased resiliency. Both can be accomplished either separately or together. I don’t think we are at a point where they are intertwined.
In your opinion, what are the most common vulnerabilities or weaknesses in façade design when it comes to building safety, and how do you address these in your work?
We recently saw a massive glass breakage event in Houston. That did not have to happen. Had Houston adopted hurricane standards like Florida and other parts of Texas, the damage would have been greatly mitigated. I believe we will be seeing more widespread adoption of hurricane standards in coastal areas not usually considered to be at risk from hurricanes.
How do you navigate the balance between aesthetic considerations and safety requirements when designing façades for different types of buildings and contexts?
It is not really that hard. Pretty much any aesthetic design can be made safer and more resilient.
Can you discuss any specific challenges or lessons learned from the past related to ensuring resilient façades, and how these experiences influenced your approach to future designs?
My experience supporting architects with their designs has been mostly in Northern climates like Chicago, Buffalo, Atlantic City, and Lincoln Ne. Because of the climate, we have always needed to build strong, well-insulated, water-resistant buildings. The areas that need help are those that the climate has not typically stressed. Los Angeles is a great example. The buildings do not look substantial and the materials are often cheap and boring.
What strategies do you employ to ensure façade designs comply with relevant building codes and regulations?
It is the architect’s job to ensure that the buildings are code-compliant. As a Building Envelope Consultant, I assist with unique façade-related codes, such as the safety glazing code and codes for window fall safety.
How do you collaborate with other professionals, such as engineers and sustainability experts, to optimise the resilience and safety of façades throughout the design and construction process?
The best forums I have found are conferences hosted by IIBEC, the International Institute of Building Envelope Consultants. My favourite day-to-day forum is LinkedIn. Lately, I have discovered forums devoted to glaziers. They pass along a lot of useful hands-on information.
With the increasing frequency and severity of natural disasters, how do you future-proof façade designs to adapt to evolving climate-related risks and ensure the long-term safety and durability of buildings?
Target and increase the performance specifications that relate to resiliency.
What is your choice of materials considering fire safety?
We all use the same fire-related products: fire-resistant ceramic-based glazing materials, fire-saving, and smoke seals, non-flammable panels, intumescent paints, fireproofing on steel structures, UL-rated wall assemblies, etc.
How do you envision the future of building safety in relation to façade architecture?
Hopefully, it will get better but that costs money. Unfortunately, the extra cost will eventually be absorbed as more buildings are damaged by climatic and seismic events.
