Editorial
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The first issue of volume 11 of JFDE elaborates on several topics related to façade design and engineering, focusing on façade systems, their construction, properties, and performance.
The topic of prefabrication in façade construction is one of the themes emerging from this issue. The importance of prefabrication is growing in the building industry as it has the potential to improve productivity by allowing faster, high-quality, and cost-effective construction while reducing risks related to onsite construction. Different articles touch on this topic from varying perspectives....
Articles
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The introduction of prefabrication into the building façade retrofit market is still difficult due to many financial, economic, and social constraints, as well as technical and performance requirements that differ from those of new construction. The technical feasibility, construction details, and actual comfort and energy-saving benefits provided by the installation of prefabricated façade modules are still being investigated, as is one goal of the specific case study presented here. The Renew-Wall project aims to create a new modular, timber-based, non-intrusive system for retrofitting...
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This paper commences with a scientific literature review of current research that underlines the environmental benefits to be gained from using smaller quantities of raw materials in the construction industry, with particular emphasis on a sustainable approach to façade design. Life cycle assessment modelling is advocated to validate the sustainability of building structures to achieve optimal solutions. A real-life application of the design of an aluminium façade bracket is presented, demonstrating that a weight reduction of up to 35-45% is...
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Sunlight control tools, such as shading devices, are used to improve buildings' thermal and visual conditions. One of the concerns about using shading devices is their potential to harm the visual appearance of buildings. This study aims to study the aesthetic perception of different shading devices while concurrently evaluating their energy performance. Augmented reality was used to place virtual shading devices onto a building's façade at Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST). One hundred two students from JUST evaluated eight shading devices on a seven-step semantic...
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Building envelopes are not only the prime element of the exterior aesthetic quality of buildings; they have also become a major driver both for building construction cost and operational performance. The importance of prefabrication is growing in the building industry as it allows faster, high-quality, and cost-effective construction while reducing risks associated with onsite labour. Although prefabrication for structural components is a relatively recent development, it has been widely used in the manufacturing of building envelopes for many years, particularly in the case of unitized...