ABSTRACT
In order to understand the steps in the development of facades the author developed a façade roadmap with the environm ent of the Facade Research Group established at the TU Delft as well as at University of Applied Sciences OWL. This roadm ap covers the periods of the building envelope from the beginning with massive wall and skeleton structures to current results like for exam ple free-form ed elem ent-facades. It is structured by m assive as well as skeletal constructions to allow the general variation of construction ty pologies to be expressed by its basic: monolithic versus skeletal constructions (2). The tim e line is presented on a logarithm ic scale focused on the present time because one’s focus and therefore the best understanding alway s lie on the present and because the developm ent frequency of technical innovation tends to increase exponentially – with the largest output at it´s end (3). Next to creating this overview certain im pulses in the historical developm ent are identified and positioned in the time line. Events like the development of the materials Glass as a building ma-
U. Knaack TU Delft / Faculty of Architecture / Department Architectural Engineering + TechnologyHochschule OWL / Detmolder Schule für Architektur und Innenarchitektur
ABSTRACT: How should we organize the development and research in the field of the building envelope? Material oriented? Is sustainable the only focus – or can a developm ent of principles, technologies, systems be identified? And if this is to be identified, what are the im pulses to get developments started?
