Editorial

In every architectural period the facade was most important for the expression and appearance of a building.
Facades characterize the different architectural periods – they characterize our cities.
But we are under the impression, we perceive, that cities – the buildings we live in and we live with – are becoming almost identical.
Are we moving towards global uniformity? If we reflect on our fundamental expectations and demands on our built environment I am not necessarily convinced that this is the case. There are different needs almost everywhere. It’s not only about the appearance, the esthetics. If we have a more detailed look, it’s much more about the functional equipment and this causes the complexity of building enclosures. There is, in fact, a strong diversity.

Nowadays half of the 7 billion and in the nearby future 75 percent of the worlds population of then about 9 billion is expected to be concentrated in cities. The city will be the principal habitat of mankind. Cities are characterized by variability. Outside and inside a building, everything is non-steady, everything is changing continually. Buildings will be confronted with diverse external influences, with impacts, boundary conditions and their temporal changes, – with alterations of different kinds. In addition, we will be challenged to use buildings – and that means the building enclosure – as power plants, as energy converters. Active and adaptive,
changeable constructions are the next big step in the conception of buildings – and even more in the conception and design of building enclosures. The facade will have a profound impact on the ecological balance of our habitat, the human condition and the quality of our life. And they will make up a substantial proportion in the building construction and operating costs. That is why facades – and their design – matter!

After our conference in 2012 it is now the second time I am organizing this international platform at the Graz University of Technology. This Conference again focuses on the enormous diversity of façade architecture, on new production processes and on the vast amount of new materials broadening the design base for extraordinary building envelopes.

With this international conference we will bring them together: creative and innovative professionals and researchers at the forefront of skin design to discuss tasks and issues in research, design and manufacturing of high-performance façades and building envelopes.

The articles assembled in this publication are showing new perspectives on, and an enhanced insight into, developments and research in design and engineering for tomorrow’s advanced building skins. Al papers are peer reviewed doubly before publication by the international scientific committee. I would like to thank the members of the scientific committee and I would in particular like to thank all the authors who have enriched this publication with their revealing and extraordinary contributions!

Best regards,
Oliver Englhardt