Search results

This paper explores the quality and flow of facade product information and the capabilities for avoiding the risk of facade fires early in the design process.

A qualitative case study using the process tracing method is conducted in two stages. First, a thematic analysis of reports and literature identified two categories for the problems that caused fast fire spread across the Grenfell Tower facade. This enabled classifying the identified problems into four stages of a facade life cycle: product design and manufacturing, procurement, facade design and construction. Second, the capabilities for avoiding the problems were explored by conducting in-depth interviews with 18 experts in nine countries, analyzing design processes and designers' expertise and examining the usability of three digital interfaces in providing required information for designing fire-safe facades.

The results show fundamental flaws in the quality of facade product information and usability of digital interfaces concerning fire safety. These flaws, fragmented design processes and overreliance on other specialists increase the risk of design defects that cause fast fire spread across facades.

The findings have implications for standardization of building product information, digitalization in industrialized construction and facade design management.

This research adds to the body of knowledge on sustainability in the built environment. It is the first study to highlight the fundamental problem of facade product information, which requires urgent attention in the rapid transition toward digital and industrialized construction.

In the construction industry, building facade systems are gaining significance as reflected in the number of facade product innovations available on the market. While research studies on the adoption of these facade product innovations are comparatively limited in number. An awareness of the advantages and impacts that a product innovation brings is critical in its adoption, and therefore the purpose of this paper is to develop a classification framework for the use of producers/vendors present the advantages and impacts of their innovative facade products to the architects.

The study, in addition to literature review, consisted of four main steps without distinct boundaries, namely, (1) case study sample selection regarding facade products, (2) data collection through review of published documents, analysis of the data via content analysis and generation of a preliminary framework for the evaluation of facade product innovations, (3) further data collection through semi-structured interviews and analysis of the products and (4) redefining innovation types and finalizing classification framework through assessment of new facade products.

Innovation types may vary according to the product groups under investigation and viewpoints of the classifications. Selected facade products were evaluated in terms of their specific characteristics through identified viewpoints: as a physical object and as an agent. It was revealed that assessing a product innovation in terms of changes in its structural composition and impact on other related physical objects/processes can change the type of innovation. Additionally, insights about improved characteristics specific to facade products, forms of change in these products and architects' new actions in the facade design process were obtained.

Only the products stated by the producers/vendors as being new to the Turkish market at the time they were introduced were evaluated in terms of all aspects proposed in the framework. For these products and others that were evaluated, the product data obtained from the producers/vendors have been deemed to be accurate. Research on equivalent products in the market has not been conducted.

Studies identifying innovation types in the facade industry are very rare. The proposed framework can be regarded as a detailed investigation of product innovation types in the facade industry which offers component-system level improvement/change analysis. Moreover, it can be an effective tool for producers/vendors to ensure that architects have knowledge about their innovative products and their impacts on facade design and also to facilitate the adoption of these products.

The elevation of a residential building, or façade, affords aesthetic and functional value to tenants. Façades embody the design of the core product, i.e. the building’s unit. When carefully executed, they contribute to the attractiveness, livability and sustainability of urban areas. The purpose of this study is to show how façades influence consumer decision, and to identify the consumers affected more by façades, i.e., product design.

Hinging on notions from product design and appearance, this research underscores the ways by which façades affect potential tenants. It also proposes that personality dimensions (i.e. concern with own physical appearance and view of achievement) identify the tenants affected more by façades. A study involving 1,091 consumers was performed to test the hypotheses.

Functional and aesthetic façades facilitated the tenant decision to buy or rent a living unit in three ways: attraction, convection and conversion. Two tenant segments (performers and egotists) were the most affected by façades. Hence, key consumer segments including self-actualizers would be less influenced by product design.

Construction companies should focus on delivering functional, aesthetic and well-maintained façades to boost satisfaction and sales. They should view the resources allocated to this purpose as an investment. Certain tenants are more affected by façades. Companies should identify the consumer segments more affected by design cues to better respond to their preferences. Policymakers are encouraged to set guidelines that foster well-executed façades in urban areas.

This research underscored the ways by which the façades of residential buildings shape consumer decision. In addition, it provided a typology to help pinpoint the tenants more affected by façades. Finally, it elaborated design theories in the context of residential building façades, which can be used by future researchers to understand the role of façade in fulfilling tenants’ needs and expectations.

This study aims to investigate the following three issues: whether consumers process numeric information with locational cues, which locations (horizontal vs vertical) are more influential in processing numbers and whether a number-location association is weakened or strengthened when a visual reference frame moves up or down.

A field study and a series of three lab experiments were conducted to examine the location effect of numeric information on the package façade on the perceived magnitude of a number.

The authors found that a number at the right was perceived as larger than one at the left only when the number is located at the bottom. Also, placing numeric information at the bottom rather than the top of a product package façade was more powerful in processing the numeric information, but this is true only when the visual frame is set lower.

This study provides practical insights for product managers in placing core numeric information on product packaging to effectively communicate product value to consumers. Optimal locations can be deliberately considered along with types of numeric information and product categories. For healthy products that promote fewer calories, the top area of the package façade may be a better position for placing information on calories per serving to make the product more appealing to those who follow a healthy diet. Heavier, more voluminous products (e.g., refrigerator) better position their volume/weight information at the bottom than at the top or at the right of the bottom than at the left of the bottom on the product facade. Either the left side or right side of the top position may be beneficial for thinner, lightweight products (e.g., television).

The present work adds valuable empirical findings; inconsistent with past research, left-right location-number associations are not always true. People tend to associate smaller numbers with left-side locations and larger numbers with right-side locations only when the number is located at the bottom. Also, the study reported that top-small, bottom-large associations are not always true. The difference in perceived magnitude of the number between a number at the top and one at the bottom within the visual frame is significant only when the visual frame is set close to the ground.

The exterior surface of a building -façade- as a communicative ground reflects the burdened meaning of its structure. Besides communicative capacity of façade, its independency, individuality and image dominancy can define exterior surface as an autonomous architectural element in terms of both physical and moral freedom. However, in the twenty-first century, this autonomy has undermined by globalization, technology and communication tools which are among the rapidly increasing activities of the century. Location of architecture in economic transactions and financial market has caused a loss in its internal dynamics and value system. The endeavor of providing the visual appeal only through the façade formation has caused the transformation in the dependency of exterior surface being devoid of content and context. The surfaces have been treated as changeable and renewable advertisement grounds concentrating on the visual appeal of the product, whether the aim is marketing, advertising or commercializing. Thus, the link between architecture and social structures has weakened through the commodification of the end product. In this framework, aim of this paper is (a) to make the description of façade, (b) to define the autonomy of façade through its physical and moral independency by examining cases and (c) to put forward a logical argument on the aspects which make façade an element pursuing only the visual pleasure by oversimplifying its significance in the generation of architectural idea.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze and quantify environmental, energy and economy aspects in a zero-emission façade system design.

The efficient design of a zero emission façade system cannot focus solely on the energy performance, but should as well include the economic an environmental aspects in order to make the solution feasible and sustainable in whole life cycle of the façade. In this paper a full environmental impact analysis of six different façade panels was carried out by evaluating the LCA of the panels with MIPS technique. Economic aspects were incorporated into the analysis on the basis of costs of manufacturing, whereas the panels’ energy performance was determined from ESP-r modeling tool.

Subsequently, an optimal façade design based on highly isolative panels covered with CIS photovoltaic modules and double skin façade window system was proposed. Systematic and holistic analysis of environmental, energy and economic aspects is crucial for development of optimal zero-emission façade system.

The proposed solution has been applied in development of an experimental façade built within the framework of German-Polish Energy Efficiency Project.

The paper provides a multi-objective approach (economy, environment, efficiency) for finding the best solutions for the façade system design. The methodology and the results reported in this research can be used for designing or improving performance of zero-emission façades.

Decisions taken during the early design of adaptive façades involving kinetic, active and responsive envelope for complex commercial buildings have a substantial effect on inclusive building functioning and the comfort level of inhabitants. This study aims to present the application of an analytic network process (ANP) model indicating the order of priority for high performance criteria that must be taken into account in the assessment of the performance of adaptive façade systems for complex commercial buildings.

The nominal group technique (NGT) stimulating and refining group judgments are used to find and categorize relevant high performance attributes of the adaptive façade systems and their relative pair-wise significance scores. An ANP model is applied to prioritize these high performance objectives and criteria for the adaptive façade systems.

Embodied energy and CO₂ emission, sustainability, energy saving, daylight and operation maintenance were as the most likely and crucial high performance criteria. The criteria and the weights presented in this study could be used as guidelines for evaluating the performance of adaptive façade systems for commercial buildings in planning and design phases.

This research primarily provides the required actions and evaluations for design managers in accomplishing a high performance adaptive façade system, with the support of an ANP method. Before beginning the adaptive façade system of a building design process, the design manager must determine the significance of each of these attributes as high performance primacies will affect the results all through the entire design process.

In this research, a relatively innovative, systematic and practical approach is proposed to sustain the decision-making procedure for evaluation of the high performance criteria of adaptive façade systems in complex commercial buildings.

In the face of urbanisation, there has been prior and current discourse on the gradual thinning out of street identities. Particularly, the diasporic identity of streets such as Petaling Street (Chinatown) has received increasing attention due to diverse development and gentrification plans for the purpose of tourism and urban development. Current and future urban development plans of Kuala Lumpur have led to the need to analyse Petaling Street's identity. Taking this as a point for departure, this paper aims to analyse the contemporary diasporic identity of Petaling street in the face of rapid urbanisation. While there have been studies that addressed Petaling Street's identity, the focus has been from social, cultural and perceptual perspectives which relates to the intangible aspect of place. Taking an alternative stance, this paper studies the contemporary meaning of Petaling Street through the visual communication of facades.

Adapting from Odgen–Richard and Parsaee, semiotics, or the study of signs and symbols, is applied as both theoretical and methodological concept to draw meanings. It examines the visual communication of the cultural products that have evolved from the social processes in shaping the street character. Particularly, this paper examines the street identities by studying the contestation of urban sign and symbols of selected street facades.

The findings reinforced the contestation of identities in Petaling street, with key signifiers of signages, ornament and colour being physical aspects that contest a sense of Chinese-ness. The functional meaning portrayed by the facades due to social, political and economic factors led to the contestations of meaning formed by society that has left the street in a state of irrelevant and unfamiliarity.

It calls to action for retention of significant urban elements of street facades to prevent further diminution of diasporic meanings which characterise Petaling Street as a whole in the process of urbanisation.

It provides basis to understand the contemporary identity and values of Petaling Street and the shift in meanings that has left the street in a state of irrelevant and unfamiliarity. This can prevent further diminution of diasporic meanings which characterise Petaling Street as a whole in the process of urbanisation.

The purpose of this paper is to compare the different preferences between property practitioners and residential consumers on housing prices in the Jakarta Metropolitan Region.

The Jakarta Metropolitan Region as the largest metropolitan city in Indonesia was selected as the main sample city for this study. This study comprises 134 respondents from property practitioners and 277 respondents from residential consumers. Data were collected from all regions in Jakarta Metropolitan Region and their respective satellite cities. Descriptive analysis, the correlation study, Wilcoxon t-test and principal component analysis were used to compare the findings between each group’s preferences on housing attributes.

The results of this research provide an analysis on the different decisive attributes for each group, disparities on the correlation between attributes in housing consumers and property practitioners and disagreements among each group on the attribute preferences influencing housing prices in the Jakarta Metropolitan Region.

In conclusion, the study provides valid and dependable evidence on different consumers and property practitioners attribute preferences for housing products in the Jakarta Metropolitan Region.

This research is the first to compare the attribute preferences for housing products between housing consumers and property practitioners in Indonesia. In addition, this study is one of the first to reaffirm preference attributes influencing housing product prices in Indonesia.

The ceramic tile chain can generate several environmental impacts, from raw material extraction to the production process, commercialization, consumption, maintenance and disposal. One of the open issues remaining in the literature on socially responsible supply chains, also known as responsible supply chains, is understanding how corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices are being implemented in ceramic tile companies in Brazil.

The method adopted is a multiple-case study. The authors conducted face-to-face interviews with six ceramic producers and a trade association. The authors also conducted eight interviews with specialists in the ceramic sector. They are two university professors, two class association representatives, one professional from a technological institute, two representatives of the inspection body and one supplier.

Companies perform on a compliance basis, manifesting a less proactive position when the subject is CSR. In addition, the CSR practices established by the companies are preferably aimed at reducing costs and risks and increasing reputation. Practices in terms of eco-design are linked to lowering costs and growing reputation, as seen from the reduction in the use of inputs and improvements in packaging to minimize costs. These practices improve the company’s reputation from the consumers' perspective. Environmental aspects are dominant due to the legislation.

This paper contributes theoretically since it identifies, from the companies' perspective, the CSR practices related to risk, cost reduction and reputation increase. There are also opportunities to be explored for facilitating their efforts towards a sustainable business model, especially considering the social dimension. From a managerial perspective, this paper provides some input for implementing CSR actions, mainly regarding their implications for society and local communities.

La cadena de revestimiento cerámico puede generar diversos impactos ambientales, desde la extracción de la materia prima hasta el proceso de producción, comercialización, consumo, mantenimiento y disposición. Una de las cuestiones abiertas que quedan en la literatura sobre cadenas de suministro socialmente responsables, también conocidas como cadenas de suministro responsables, es comprender cómo se están implementando prácticas de responsabilidad social empresarial en las empresas de revestimientos cerámicos en Brasil.

El método utilizado en el estudio es un estudio de casos múltiples. Realizamos entrevistas cara a cara con 6 productores de cerámica y una asociación comercial. También recibimos información de 8 especialistas representantes de organizaciones relacionadas con el sector cerámico; 2 profesores universitarios; 2 representantes de asociaciones de clase; 1 profesional de instituto tecnológico; 2 representantes del organismo de control; y 1 proveedor de esmaltes.

Las empresas actúan sobre la base del cumplimiento, manifestando una posición menos proactiva cuando el tema es la RSE. Además, las prácticas de RSC establecidas por las empresas están preferentemente encaminadas a la reducción de costes y riesgos y al aumento de la reputación. Las prácticas en materia de ecodiseño están esencialmente ligadas a la reducción de costos y al aumento de la reputación, a partir de la reducción en el uso de insumos y mejoras en los empaques para minimizar costos. Estas prácticas mejoran la reputación de la empresa desde la perspectiva de los consumidores. Los aspectos ambientales son dominantes debido a la legislación.

Este trabajo aporta teóricamente ya que identifica, desde la perspectiva de las empresas, las prácticas de RSE relacionadas con el riesgo, la reducción de costos y el aumento de la reputación. También hay oportunidades por explorar para facilitar sus esfuerzos hacia un modelo de negocio sostenible, especialmente teniendo en cuenta la dimensión social. Desde la perspectiva gerencial, este documento proporciona algunos insumos para la toma de decisiones sobre la implementación de acciones de RSE, principalmente en lo que respecta a las implicaciones para la sociedad y las comunidades locales.