Façade

Afaçadeorfacade(/fəˈsɑːd/^ⓘ;^[1]) is generally the front part or exterior of abuilding.It is aloanwordfrom theFrenchfaçade(pronounced[fasad]), which means "frontage"or"face".

Inarchitecture,the façade of a building is often the most important aspect from a design standpoint, as it sets the tone for the rest of the building. From the engineering perspective, the façade is also of great importance due to its impact onenergy efficiency.^[2]For historical façades, many localzoningregulations or other laws greatly restrict or even forbid their alteration.

Etymology

The word is a loanword from the Frenchfaçade,which in turn comes from theItalianfacciata,fromfacciameaning 'face', ultimately from post-classical Latinfacia.The earliest usage recorded by theOxford English Dictionaryis 1656.^[3]

Façades added to earlier buildings

It was quite common in theGeorgianperiod for existing houses in English towns to be given a fashionable new façade. For example, in the city ofBath,The Bunch of Grapes in Westgate Street appears to be a Georgian building, but the appearance is only skin deep and some of the interior rooms still haveJacobeanplasterwork ceilings.^[4]

This new construction has happened also in other places: inSantiago de Compostelathe three-metre-deepCasa do Cabidowas built to match thearchitectural orderof the square, and the mainChurrigueresquefaçade of theSantiago de Compostela Cathedral,facing thePlaza del Obradoiro,is actually encasing and concealing the olderPortico of Glory.

High rise façades

In modernhigh-risebuilding, the exterior walls are often suspended from the concrete floor slabs. Examples includecurtain wallsand precast concrete walls. The façade can at times be required to have afire-resistance rating,for instance, if two buildings are very close together, to lower the likelihood of fire spreading from one building to another.

In general, the façade systems that are suspended or attached to the precast concrete slabs will be made fromaluminum(powder coated or anodized) orstainless steel.In recent years more lavish materials such astitaniumhave sometimes been used, but due to their cost and susceptibility topanel edge stainingthese have not been popular.

Whether rated or not,fire protectionis always a design consideration. The melting point of aluminum, 660 °C (1,220 °F), is typically reached within minutes of the start of a fire.Fire stopsfor suchbuilding jointscan be qualified, too. Puttingfire sprinkler systemson each floor has a profoundly positive effect on the fire safety of buildings with curtain walls.

The extended use of new materials, like polymers, resulted in an increase ofhigh-rise building façade firesover the past few years, since they are more flammable than traditional materials.

Somebuilding codesalso limit the percentage of window area in exterior walls. When the exterior wall is not rated, the perimeter slab edge becomes a junction where rated slabs are abutting an unrated wall. For rated walls, one may also choose rated windows andfire doors,to maintain that wall's rating.

Film sets and theme parks

On afilm setand within most themed attractions, many of the buildings are only façade, which are far cheaper than actual buildings, and not subject tobuilding codes(within film sets). In film sets, they are simply held up with supports from behind, and sometimes have boxes for actors to step in and out of from the front if necessary for ascene.Within theme parks, they are usually decoration for the interior ride or attraction, which is based on a simple building design.

Examples

Façade of a 1st-century CE RomandomusinPompeii,Italy
Part of theCentral University LibraryofBucharest(Romania)
The façade atBletchley Park(UK) is a mix of architectural styles
Detail of a façade fromPrague(Czech Republic)
Façade of thetown hallinChojna(Poland)
Façade of a house fromAnsbach(Germany)
TheHaunted MansioninDisneylandconsists of a building and façade in the front, while the majority of the ride is outside the park in a connected building
Fantasy Gardens (British Columbia) was a theme park with an exterior designed to resemble many different medieval buildings
Façade of a typical "Casa Chorizo"house with different ornaments and colors inBuenos Aires(Argentine)
Old Post officeinBelgrade,built inSerbo-Byzantine Revival
"Energetic rebuilding of a façade" (Germany): The outer walls are torn off and replaced at one wing of the building at a time while the other wing part is still/again in use
Detail of the glass façade of "Neues Kranzler Eck" byHelmut Jahn,located inBerlin
Façade of theHawa Mahal,Jaipur,Rajasthan,India
TheZCMI Cast Iron FrontinSalt Lake City,Utahhas been a façade for several different structures

References

Citations

^dictionary.cambridge.org
^Boswell, Keith (2013).Exterior Building Enclosures.John Wiley & Sons. p. 11.
^"façade, n.".Oxford English dictionary(Second, online ed.). Oxford University Press. December 2011 [1989].(subscription required)
^Jean Manco.Bath's lost era,"Bath and the Great Rebuilding", Bath History vol. 4, (Bath 1992). First published in Bath City Life Summer 1992. Retrieved 22 June 2010

Sources

Façades: Principles of Construction.By Ulrich Knaack, Tillmann Klein, Marcel Bilow and Thomas Auer. Boston/Basel/Berlin: Birkhaüser-Verlag, 2007.ISBN 978-3-7643-7961-2(German)ISBN 978-3-7643-7962-9(English)
Giving buildings an illusion of grandeur
Facades of Casas Chorizo in Buenos Aires, Argentina