UPPING THEIR INNOVATION GAME

WE MAY NOT ALWAYS JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER, BUT WE DEFINITELY JUDGE A BUILDING BY ITS FAÇADE! AFTER ALL, IT IS THE FAÇADE THAT TELLS THE STORY OF A BUILDING!

- SUMISHA GILOTRA

The right façade, in context to its surroundings, the materials used, and the function of the building impacts the well-being of the occupants and the overall ecosystem.Lately, we have seen major emphasis being laid on good designs in façades. Be it city buildings, or standalone bungalows, architects are experimenting with material, form and pattern to maximise the influence the façade has on the performance of the building and its aesthetics.

EXPERIMENTING WITH MATERIAL

Architect Arvind Jain, Principal Architect, AJ Architects, agrees that a lot of experimentation and the use of varied material palette is quite evident in the latest façades. He shares, “Today, a lot of work is being done on conservation of energy through façades, be it use of natural materials (with an exposed raw look), to cutting direct sunlight from entering the building. Kinetic and non-kinetic forms of jaalis are also being experimented with.”

Meanwhile, Architect Jasleen Changani, Principal, CY Corp, affirms that experimenting with parametric patterns and expressive metals like corten and zinc seem to be the mainstream direction as far as façades are concerned.

Today, we have a lot of brands that are specialising in providing innovative façade solutions, whether they are in aluminium, steel or glass. And the performance of a building is being measured using various parameters like the extent of artificial climate control required, analysis of residual positive and negative spaces, user comfort and most importantly, heightened user experience.