Building Envelope Design

Joint intensive workshop between the IASAP·BV Abroad Program of the Illinois School of
Architecture and ETSAV.
Sant Cugat del Vallès, Monday 27 to Friday 31, January 2020.
From 9:30h to 13:30h, and from 15:00h to 17:00.
For ETSAV and Erasmus students: equivalent to 3 ECTS elective credits (in Spring Semester).
Free registration

Scott Murray, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Pablo Garrido, ETSAV UPC
Jaime Prous, ETSAV UPC

Description

As the primary interface between interior and exterior environments, the building envelope is an important architectural component with great potential for impacting both a building’s aesthetic expression and its technical performance in response to climate and energy consumption. In this workshop, students will learn a design process that integrates the various issues related to building-envelopes in contemporary practice: cultural expression, materials, construction techniques, climate-responsiveness, and energy efficiency. Students will work in teams to design an enclosure system for an assigned building type and form, with each team working in a different climate zone. After researching the climate conditions for their site, each team will develop a building-envelope system and will produce detailed drawings and a large-scale sectional model to represent their final design.

Objectives

Students will gain fundamental knowledge about building-envelope design and construction; learn how to research climatic factors and how they influence the design of an envelope system; and develop their skills in drawing, modeling, and presentation to convey design ideas.

Dates

From Monday January 27 to Friday January 31 2020. As a stand-alone intensive workshop, the class will meet in the mornings from 9:30h to 13:30h, and from 15:00h to 17:00.  Note: final presentation on Friday afternoon may work finish at 19:00h. 

Preliminary Schedule

Monday: Introduction of project and building-envelope lecture; climate research; charette for initial design concepts.
Tuesday: Teams select their final concept and begin developing design.
Wednesday: Design development through drawings, diagrams, software analysis. Assign tasks for final presentation materials.
Thursday: Work on final drawings and model.
Friday: (a.m.) complete presentation materials; (p.m.) presentations.
Saturday: optional visit to Barcelona.

Faculties 

Scott Murray, Associate Professor at the University of Illinois, is a registered architect and the author of two books on building-envelope design: Contemporary Curtain Wall Architecture and Translucent Building Skins.

Jaime Prous and Pablo Garrido, 'Professors Associats' at the ETSAV UPC, are registered architects and authors of a book on building-envelope design: Deep Skin.