Designing of Facade - Activities that can adversely impact businesses

                                                                                                                                                                                                    Design activities include design work for facades of all types, such as:

·       Aluminium

·       UPVC Glazing

·       Brickwork, and stonework

·       Tiles and stone veneer panels

·       Pre-cast concrete panels

·        Metallic cladding

·       And so on

Characteristics of a Robust Façade Design:

·       Uniqueness of building envelop ‘s style to grab attention

·       Energy saving cost reduction

·       Overall project costs for facade

·       Provision of vertical & lateral wind actions

·       Optimum design performance of Façade vis a vis:

·       Eliminate water ingress

·        Ensure airtightness to prevent heat or cooling loss

·        Configure acoustic insulation to reduce noise

·        Thermal insulation designed to reduce the overall amount of heat absorption due to solar radiations

·       Provide adequate daylight while preventing glare

·       Carbon neutral design

·       Fire resistance

·       Ability to withstand excessive vibrations

·       Ability to withstand changes in the frequency of sound & Noise control

·       Prevent looseness of fasteners

·       Inside occupant’s comforts

·       Incorporate features of the façade cleaning system

·       Ensure meeting safety and statutory requirements

·       Easy maintainability of the cleaning system

And so on

Inputs that contribute to making a good Façade design include:

1.      Proposing the right choice of strong materials, in terms of specifications while

       optimizing costs:  

 

Types of materials for use in Façade Panels	Key specifications of building materials (as required by customers and National/international Quality standards)
Glass fiber reinforced concrete (GFRC)	Thickness, density, unit weight, compression strength, tensile strength, porosity, moisture content, water tightness, moisture content, coefficient of thermal expansion, flexural strength, modulus of elasticity and Colour, texture, surface type/shape, size, width,
Steel reinforced Concrete façade (RC)	Thickness, density, unit weight, compression strength, tensile strength, porosity, moisture content, water tightness, moisture content, coefficient of thermal expansion, flexural strength, modulus of elasticity
Ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC)	As above
Composite façade (Aluminium -polyethylene composite or wood plastic composite panel)	As above
Terra cotta cladding tiles	As above
Ceramic Façade	Hardness, modulus of elasticity, ductility, wear resistance, resistance to chemicals, and so
Timber Façade	size, colour, luster, grains, content, hardness, density, shear resistance, and so on
Natural stone Façade	colour, hardness, grain size, texture, polish ability, chemical properties, and so on
Door/window hardware (Aluminium, Stainless steel,	Make, brand, aesthetic and style, size, colour, coating, surface finish,
Sealants (silicon rubber,	Waterproofing, insulation, resistance to extreme temperature, UV resistance withstanding temperature, colour retention, strength, shrinkage and crack resistance, etc
Maintenance equipment	Make, brand, model, performance, size, safety
And so on

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2 Incorporating, in façade-related design & drawings, good practices for construction or & installation of the following as per applicable Quality standards:

·       Fabrication of aluminium or UPVC or alternate materials for use as panels

· Install various types of panels for façade as mentioned above, such as GFRC, RC, UHPC, composite façade, terracotta, natural stone, etc.  

· Install glassworks/glazing, hardware, and maintenance system for façade. 

·       Application & testing of sealants on façade for acoustics, water & air leakage, and inside temperature control

·       Installation, testing, and commissioning  of specialized façade systems

·       Installation, and testing of a façade cleaning system with safety considerations

·       Providing inputs to the building architects, Interior designers, and  MEP-package designers for integration of all designs across the project  

 

          3 Building quality in the designing process for Façade -using designing software:

·       Essential technical steps/activities include performing the following for developing designs.

 

·       Analysis of Solar movement and shading analysis

·       Daylight planning

·       Energy reduction

·       Solar heat gain and thermal analysis

·       Carbon neutral designs

·       Glazing selection

·       Façade envelop geometry.

·       Fabrication & assembly of façade system

Software like Fennesta, Autodesk Revit, AutoCAD, ETAB, or similar ones having features to carry out design analysis can be considered for developing Facade works related to designs.

Five stages for developing the design of Façade   

Design activities vary considerably from company to company, but generally, there are five stages to designing the Façade  for buildings, as below. Whatever designing processes and software are used, designing must result in developing Robust designs by accomplishing the following:

·       Build designs that are comprehensive, accurate

·       Contributes to building quality in construction by incorporating national and international quality standards in BOQ/material specifications and construction processes

·       Integrates statutory and safety requirements in the designs and drawings  

·       Optimise project costs

·       Enables efficient delivery of designs & drawings

·       Incorporates maker-checker step in each design stage through the implementation   of segregation of duties concept

 

The five stages are:

·       1 Develop Concept designs

·       2 Develop a Detailed design

·       3 Develop Tenders (Technical design aspects

·       4 Estimating Costs

·       5 Issuing As-built drawing

 

The below-listed activities, those marked *reflect those activities which can have adverse statutory implications.

 

Stage 1 activities that can adversely impact business

 

·       Not obtaining or not incorporating inputs (like Building Envelop, Building statutory codes, the performance of façade, Construction methods for proposed façade, Maintenance of façade, Renderings for sales promotion, cleaning system for façade) from Architect, MEP, sales teams’ functions into Building Façade design

·       Using unlicensed software while developing a concept design for Façade.

·       Not vetting the concept and detailed design/making compromise while vetting Façade, in collaboration with, inhouse or outsourced Façade consultant, by skipping or compromising on essential design features and drawings aspects such as below.

       

·       Tolerances on material specifications and Workmanship

·        Statutory code-related requirements for Façade *  

·       National and international standards for quality    

·        Raw Materials (hardware, glazing, stones, claddings, etc.) sizes, and specifications

·       Quality requirements and suggestive gauging

·       Façade safety requirements *   

·       Compromising on the safety of the Façade by proposing low cost /low strength raw materials  

·       Bribing mandatory Agencies which approve the Façade. relevant for issuing compliance*

 

Stage 2 activities that can adversely impact business

 

·       The design intent is not aligned with the approved concept design.

·       Façade detailed drawings are not comprehensive to include structural integrity, material selection, acoustics, etc. or are not accurate

·       Assigning the same designer to develop schematic designs & drawings, who initially developed concept design thus not implementing the segregation of duties concept*

 

·       Detailed design not based on supporting calculations/formula related to thermal movements, edge beam deflection, thermal expansion, structural calculations, and fire protection leading to façade safety issues*

 

 

Stage 3 activities that can adversely impact business

 

·       In the tender, the Façade designer includes names and brands of specific materials only for pre-identified /preferred vendors of the Façade designer in return for commission/kickback from such vendors.

·       Façade designer recommends only a single source for many BOQ materials and thus leaving very few options with the project materials team to negotiate prices aggressively in return for commission/kickback from such vendors. *

·       Tender drawings do not incorporate applicable quality standards for all BOQ and façade fabrication, installation and assembly works.

·       Inspection requirements w.r.t. façade works like aluminum and glass, doors, hardware, stones, etc., are not comprehensive.

·       Tender drawings not incorporating applicable statutory requirements vis-a-vis applicable national/international codes w.r.t safety. *

 

 

Stage 4 activities that can adversely impact business

 

 

Computing Façade costs based on thumb rules rather than on the first principal basis vis-à-vis following, leading to underestimating or overestimating project costs.

Costs of raw materials like Aluminium or UPVC or civil materials

·       Costs of doors and handles

·       Costs of hardware

·       Costs of consumables

·       Costs of equipment for cleaning /maintenance of Façade

·       Costs of fabrication

·       Costs of labor etc.

·       Costs of installation, testing, and commissioning

 

Stage 5 activities that can adversely impact business

 

 

 ·       Façade designer issuing “As-built drawings” for the Façade which are aligned to earlier approved drawings by Project head and statutory authorities (if applicable) but at variant, vis-à-vis actual completed physical construction (in terms of approved façade plans and construction materials used, etc.) *

 

 

You can read more about the 20 activities that can adversely impact business in Chapter 1 of my handbook ETHICS in the real estate and hospitality industry, Volume 1- Architectural, Interior design, and MEP services “