Construction World August 2015

PROJECTS AND CONTRACTS

Getting the most value from your FAÇADE ENGINEER It is the façade of a building that brings an architect’s vision to life, however a building’s skin not only contributes to architectural expression, it also plays a large role in the performance of the building as a whole.

Steve Daniels, Aurecon’s façade service leader.

Globally, clients are becoming more demanding concerning the solutions they want from their buildings and façades.

for example, there will be approximately 18 000 m 2 of façade. This will consist of approximately 3 000 panels, with each panel having approximately 300 parts that are constructed from various materials. “This example adds up to nearly a million parts for the façade alone, so it’s no wonder that things can go wrong if proper control isn’t in place,” comments Daniels. “Some of the diverse conditions that a façade needs to accommodate include wind speeds that can go above 100 km/h, temperature differences, and associated thermal expan- sion of up to 80 °C, plus they must resist rain, humidity, mould and even seismic activity and lightning. “Besides being designed for all of the above external conditions, a façade on a tall building also needs to be able to accommo- date a structure that moves and deflects all of this while continuing to look good. In short, it is a complex machine and should not be trusted to inexperience,” cautions Daniels. “Within the boundaries of the fees avail- able, façade engineers need to be smart with the solutions they offer. It’s our job to find the technologies and systems to make the client requirements possible. As a very minimum, we must offer safe, buildable, durable solu- tions that fit into the client’s budget,” he says.

Sometimes delivering optimum service means delivering difficult messages to our clients. As with any type of highly technical engineering solution, you get what you pay for when it comes to façade design and installation. “Façade engineers need to be brought in at the early stages of a project in order to understand what the client’s aspirations are and what they can afford, so that the engineers can assess different solutions and determine what performance requirements are needed for the façade. In this way, the project proceeds smoothly with all parties fully informed,” says Daniels. Daniels believes that a façade engineer’s obligations extend much further than deliv- ering a technical service. “An engineer must understand the entire development process and the fact that delaying a building project will have financial implications for our client. We therefore have an obligation to provide good technical advice and keep a project moving forward. “Ensure that the façade engineer you partner with has appropriate experience, understands your project’s aspirations and understands how a project is developed. No client will ever be thankful for achieving a small, non-critical technical win if the result is that the project is delivered late,” adds Daniels.

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They want better-performing, more aesthetically pleasing façades and these requirements have to be delivered quickly and cost-effectively. Steve Daniels, Aurecon’s façade service leader, has an extensive track record in façade management and consulting. He has come across many challenging projects over the course of 25 years and has worked on some of the worlds’ great façades including the Petronas Towers in Malaysia, Swiss Re and City Hall in London, and the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. Daniels discusses some of the things that need to be considered to get the best out of your façades engineer. A façade is one of the key influencers that determine the value, commercial success and project risk of a building, but it’s also one of the most common sources of building failure. Up to 25% of the entire building cost is attributed to the cost of the façade, it is therefore vital that architects and clients do their research on who they are partnering with to deliver their façade. Few people realise how complex a façade system can be. In a typical 30 storey building,

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CONSTRUCTION WORLD AUGUST 2015