Fasades are not limited to the actual space they occupy as part of the entire structure, but also influence the space in and around the building. A fasade is the key element when observing a building from the exterior and has impact on the interior. View, lighting, ventilation, user comfort, some building services and possibly loadbearing are all tasks the fasade may need to address. Fasades are an integral element of the entire building with direct relation to design, use, structure and building services. This has decisive impact on the entire design and construction process.

Designing a fasade is a process of communication and decision-making that focuses on the formulation of the building and its fasade. The following steps can be defined as specific phases: initial conception, definition of functionalities, design, implementation coordination and assembly. Certain processes should occur during all of these phases: feedback on overall design and deinition of functionalities as well as the element’s importance within the overall structure of the building (structure, building services engineering, usage, safety).

We will describe (in this category) an example of a functionality relating overall building design and fasade construction. Water needs to be kept out of the building. The design might  include, for instance, an overhanging roof with recessed windows. In terms of the construction process, a layered construction method with targeted drainage via eaves gutters or drainage edges would be preferred. Assembly would need to be executed from bottom to top in order to construct overhangs and ensure proper sealing.

Similar relative effects can be seen in the example of a full glass fasade: the design idea of a transparent envelope usually would entail the choice of a non-loadbearing fasade to expose as much glass surface as possible. For the construction process, this would mean using a full glass fasade set independently of the building structure. It would need to have a movable joint to avoid stress imposed on the glass fasade by the main structure.

Fasade planning is an integral part of the design process that employs constant feedback. It is a process based on progressive steps. This category is structured according to this schematic: the article ‘From Wall to Fasade’ discusses the development of today’s fasades and their typological classification; the article ‘Principles of Construction’ explains the interrelationship between the building structure and the fa?ade system; the article ‘Principles of Detailing and Tolerances’ broaches the issue of generating technical details for the general solutions defined previously; topics such as integrated design and building structure aspects of the fasade are discussed in the article ‘Climate and Energy’; the article ‘Adaptive Fasades’ analyses how fasades can adapt to changing parameters; the article ‘Case Studies’ describes typical and special fasade solutions on the basis of selected projects; in closing the authors provide an outlook into possible developments in fasade technology.