It is the gateway to a company, it is the visible face that receives a loyal customer or a potential one. The façade is such an important element in the perception that others will have of the company as good service.
by María Cecilia Hernández Ocampo
Currently there are different ways to make a good first impression: through the company's website, listening to a melodious voice to the telephone of the reception and, although less technological is just as important, the façade of the property.
When a façade goes unnoticed it is better to worry, especially if you want to gain visibility, recall and positioning. "It is not about designing and building the most extravagant facades, but some well-kept details usually generate sensations that remain in the unconscious of people, for better or for worse," says Colombian industrial designer Natalia Bernal.
For some, the "sighting" of innovative, quirky or charming facades is a passion; there are websites dedicated entirely to recording and reviewing the most curious or remarkable facades that authors find in their path.
But some authors and other experts wonder if the façade of a company is really so special as to help in sales, does it make us feel more attracted to its stores and spend more money? Or are they just another photo to take home as a souvenir of our trip?, is what one of the authors of the Spanish blog urbandwalk asks.
According to professionals in the field, the truth is that the design and construction – or renovation – of the façade should not be left in inexperienced hands. For the architect David Oquendo, this constructive element has a large number of technical specifications, in addition to those that correspond to the aesthetic, which are mandatory if you want to avoid accidents or even disasters.
What does the façade communicate?
Every architectural or remodeling project must have a purpose, Bernal explains that this is the first step that must be taken when carrying out an initiative like this. The same happens in the case of facades.
In addition to seeking compliance with all the benefits that by common sense a curtain wall of a building must fulfill, it is important to think about what you want to achieve with the façade of the office in terms of design, image that you want to transmit, concept and philosophy of the company. The façade reflects, as the Argentine Héctor H. Zorrilla affirms, the personality of the place.
In this way you can establish if you want a striking, sober, modern, classic, illuminated, discreet, cheerful, elegant façade and any other quality that you want to give to the face of the company. The objective of the façade, then, must take into account what you want to communicate and the way in which you want to transmit that information; it must be the search for one's own identity and identification with a philosophy.
Plan the scope
Once the issue of the objective has been resolved, it will be necessary to define the budget available for such a project. According to Oquendo this factor not only depends on the objective, "many times it also limits the search for materials that will be used, so it is necessary to be clear from the beginning of the process if money will be a priority issue".
In the same way, it will be necessary to clarify about the materials that will be used and the type of façade that is desired. According to the experts of the consultancy Arqhys, there are several types of facades, among which can be counted:
Light façade. It functions as a layer of skin hanging from the building. It is lightweight, as its name suggests and has no relation to the stability of the structure. They turn out to be bad thermal insulators, as well as for noise, they allow the easy passage of light. It is classified into curtain walls or panel façade, which depends on whether the skin of the façade is continuous or is interrupted in the slabs.
Heavy façade. This category includes all those traditional facades, made of exposed brick, plastered, cladding, made of stone, wood, among others. Also included are the transventilated and the prefabricated.
Transventilated facades. Similar to curtain walls. They have uprights, crossbars and enclosures, but in these the uprights are anchored to the factory walls, and the pieces corresponding to the enclosures have more weight, usually they are plates made of stone or ceramic. Transventilated facades are more often used in institutional buildings, because they result in a higher quality finish.
Prefabricated facades. Composed of wall modules, previously elaborated in a workshop, so that they only have to be assembled when they arrive at the work. Depending on your prefabrication level, façade walls can be mounted that arrive with the windows and doors installed. Among the most used materials in them is concrete, which is followed by wood, and other materials such as GRC. They are usually dry joint.
Decisive factors
By understanding and deciding the type of façade desired, it is possible to choose the materials to be used. To do this, David Oquendo offers the following recommendations:
Impermeability: it is important to choose materials that prevent water leaks, as well as design and install an adequate rainwater drainage system to avoid humidity, or in the worst case, collapses and landslides.
Fire protection: Do your best to avoid highly flammable materials, coatings, or veneers. Current technology has advanced to amazing levels, to the point of offering fire elements of very varied ranges for facades.
According to Jordi Bolea, head of Institutional Relations at Rockwool, "fire protection is an increasingly important aspect in the construction sector. The architect is committed to using products that are aesthetically attractive and that guarantee, at the same time, that the building will fulfill its mission for several generations. These products must offer the qualities and performance necessary to meet all standards, including fire protection."
Temperature and noise control: architects and industrial designers often find themselves in the dilemma between prioritizing the issue of temperature and noise inside buildings. A good part of these two factors are defined by the material used in façade walls and windows. That is, "most of the materials that offer excellent performance in relation to the control of the interior air conditioning of the building are usually lousy in the acoustic insulation and vice versa", explains the industrial engineer and façade consultant Renato Cilento.
This issue becomes even more complex when you take into account the environment, global warming, carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and energy consumption. According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), 48% of globalCO2 pollution is emitted by existing buildings; on average, 85% of that pollution occurs when the buildings are in operation and the remaining 15% is generated during the construction phase.
Currently, materials are being developed that prevent the transfer of heat or cold inside the properties, which would reduce the use of air conditioning equipment and thereby reduce energy consumption and emissions of pollutants to ozone; this is achieved in parallel with the reduction of the impact of noise.
According to Fabián Álvarez, manager for Argentina at Hydro Building Systems, construction professionals around the world overestimate the costs of building a sustainable building, ignoring that it is only 5% of the total cost of the project, and underestimate the impact that buildings have on the issue of global warming.
Other important aspects
It is also important to consider lighting, whether natural or artificial. That is, it is necessary to keep in mind from the design to reserve a space for the windows and choose the material, type of glass and automation technology that will be used for them.
On the other hand, the lighting of the façade must consist of special equipment and luminaires to withstand the rigors of the exterior and the weather. Also, issues such as colors and advertisements or advertising and signage that identifies the company will have to be consistent with the identity of the company.
The façade is therefore an important part of the company. It is an element that can define the relationship with customers, social responsibility and the identity of the company. The design and construction or refurbishment of a façade is full of details that require the advice and intervention of professionals. The universal recommendation: do not leave the face of your company in inexperienced hands.
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