In Buffalo, fired-clay terra-cotta facade systems take a leap forward

For the third year in a row, manufacturer Boston Valley Terra Cotta (BVTC) and the University at Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning (UB/a+p) in upstate New York hosted the Architectural Ceramics Assemblies Workshop (ACAW). The weeklong event is a gathering of architects, engineers, and artists and offers a fast-paced opportunity for attendees to get their hands dirty physically

SOM uses interdisciplinary collaboration to design innovative facade systems

On September 21, Facades+ is coming to Chicago for the first time in three years. The conference features moderators and speakers of leading firms from across the country. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill–the architecture and engineering firm that has called Chicago home for over 80 years–will have a particularly strong presence at the upcoming conference. To

BIG’s Shenzhen International Energy Mansion looks better than the renderings

Long after the golden era of corporate modernist skyscrapers (think Mies van der Rohe’s Seagram Building, SOM’s Lever House, and so on), many contemporary office skyscrapers are still designed with traditional glass curtain walls that have low insulation and cause overheating from unnecessary direct sunlight. Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) conjured an otherworldly alternative for Shenzhen International Energy Mansion: a

New eco-friendly weather and air barriers help to lower energy costs

Even the highest performing facades can be undone by gaps or by under-utilizing insulation. Weather and air barriers have expanded to fill a variety of niches, from eco-friendly insulation to ready-to-install sealant. Rizza Partition Closure System Balco This compression seal is perfect for vertical junctures and joints between the ends of partitions, curtain walls, and

Ian Ritchie advocates for subtlety and organic geometries in glass architecture

On April 19, for the afternoon keynote of The Architect’s Newspaper’s Facades+conference in New York, architect Ian Ritchie discussed his decades-long involvement in forward-looking glass architecture. Beginning with the tongue-in-cheek statement, “Glass is the answer; what was the question?” the British architect detailed the technological specifications and design considerations behind his projects. Ranging in size from personal residences to convention centers, the projects convey

A skin for the spectacular? It has to be ETFE.

From biodomes to Disney resorts, “Sheds” and stadiums, ethylene tetrafluoroethylene, better known as ETFE, has become the material of choice for architects designing a venue for the spectacular. Appealing to designers as an affordable, translucent building skin, the material is now the go-to polymer for flamboyant facades. The Architect’s Newspaper (AN) spoke to three firms leading the

Marlon Blackwell’s copper-clad “barn” blends tradition with innovation

Part of a larger master plan funded by the North Dallas Lamplighter School’s “Igniting Young Minds for a Lifetime of Learning” campaign, a new Innovation Lab and Lamplighter Barn are aimed at marrying technology and the school’s storied cooperative learning curriculum. Both buildings were designed by Arkansas-based architect Marlon Blackwell and represent his first built works in North Texas. The Innovation

Rehabilitating Lookout Mountain’s historic “Castle in the Clouds”

Originally built as a resort hotel, Carter Hall is a Tudor style concrete-framed stucco structure on the Covenant College campus outside of Chattanooga, Tennessee. Following a late-1970s recladding project, the landmark building was covered up in an effort to address ongoing moisture and thermal concerns. This rehabilitation project, led by Atlanta-based Lord Aeck Sargent (LAS),

Mecanoo interprets Moorish vernacular architecture for Spain’s Palace of Justice

Constructed adjacent to a UNESCO World Heritage site, the new Palace of Justice in Córdoba, Spain delivers a contemporary take on the traditional courtyard typology and Moorish screening techniques found throughout the city. Led by Dutch firm Mecanoo and Spain’s AYESA, the 51,000-square-foot super dense project was initially awarded after a competition in 2006, and after a long

Shingled glass and twisting terra cotta accentuate new music building in Iowa City

Open last year in Iowa City, the University of Iowa Voxman Music Building is a six-story, 184,000-square-feet academic building containing performance spaces, a music library, practice rooms, classrooms, and faculty studios and offices. It establishes a connection between the community and the school though specific massing articulation and building envelope detailing. LMN Architects credited their

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AEC professionals behind Cornell Tech Passive House reveal key to high energy performance

[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.106″ background_layout=”light”] Today at Facades+ New York, The Architect’s Newspaper’s conference series on innovative building envelopes, AEC professionals gathered for a day of talks on the challenges and opportunities presented by the design and construction of high-performance facades. To kick off the afternoon session, Blake Middleton, partner at Handel Architects and Lois Arena, senior mechanical engineer at SWA convened

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Empowering the Facade Design Community Exploring the design and performance of next-generation facades. Testimonials This year’s Facades+ LA event was impressive. It was a gathering of people seeking knowledge about the integration of environmental excellence in our industry and the work we need to do. Congratulations on the Facades + team and their efforts at