Recent Advances in Material Science for Facade Systems in Contemporary Architecture: An Overview

Abstract

The building facade is the main visible element of a building, acting as a boundary between the interior and the exterior environment. The facade works as an interface between the living spaces and the external climate, influencing comfort and energy efficiency. The skins of these facades are important media between the interior and exterior of a building. They not only connect between users and environments, but also play an important functional and aesthetic role. The major advancements in facade technology gives the architects and specialists the opportunity to vary the appearance of the building envelope, create an integrate grid system with all of their ideas, such as, windows, ventilation elements, glazing, aluminum features, etc. while maintaining a high level weather proofing. The objective of this paper is to identify, investigate and understand the recent innovations in the material science which have been incorporated in facades, especially in high rise buildings. In this paper, a qualitative evaluation research method is used. The research methodology comprises of case studies, visual observation and data collection. The various modern trends in the development of facade material employed in contemporary architecture around the world have been also been discussed through some examples in this paper.