Materials

New Approaches in Facade Technologies

From point-fixed glass curtain walls to breathing ceramic facades, the impact of contemporary envelope systems on architecture.

The facade is a building's identity. It is also the most critical thermal and visual barrier between interior comfort and the external atmosphere. Contemporary facade technologies combine these two requirements with the most advanced engineering solutions.

Point-fixed glass facade systems provide maximum transparency and visual lightness by minimizing load-bearing profiles. However, the thermal performance of these systems can be lower than that of conventional stick systems. REACTO has developed a patented solution with hybrid load-bearing profiles that eliminates the risk of thermal-bridge formation in point-fixed anchorage systems.

Ventilated ceramic facades operate on the principle of natural air circulation. The air cavity left behind the ceramic panels delays the heating of the building envelope in summer while functioning as an additional insulation layer in winter. This passive climate-control strategy reduces the load on mechanical HVAC systems by 15–20%.