2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

The __________________________________________________ currently offers accredited programs in ________________________________, as well as a non-accredited degree in ______________________. These three programs share several courses that include engineering, management, and architectural studios. In the past few years, several new courses have been added to the curriculums that enable students to be equipped with advanced knowledge needed to work in today’s architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industries and to serve society. Like other areas of study, such as manufacturing and software, the AEC industry has experienced a tremendous amount of change in the last decade. In particular, the design and manufacturing of building facades constructed of materials such as aluminum, glass, stone, and sheet metal, has grown. Traditionally, most courses in architecture, engineering, and construction in the United States and other parts of the world primarily focus on structural design of steel, concrete, and timber, that are utilized in the construction of the main load-bearing members in a building structure (also called ‘primary structural system’). A building façade, which can be referred to as a ‘secondary structural system’, typically forms a building’s exterior that is exposed to environmental loads such as wind, seismic, thermal, rain and snow loads. Furthermore, facades such as curtain walls are aesthetically pleasing and if properly designed can prevent heat losses, leading to energy efficient buildings. Therefore, the subject of façade design incorporates aspects of structural engineering and building science. Due to the absence of any formal course on façade design at most institutions of higher education, and the lack of textbooks in this subject area, many designers in the industry find it difficult to learn how to design building facades.

To close this ‘knowledge gap’, the program decided to develop a new course titled “façade design”. As part of the course development, students from the programs were asked to take a survey on their views about a prospective course on the topic. This paper will look at the results of the survey and will include a detailed literature review of architecture, engineering, and construction programs across North America offering similar courses. It is anticipated that the introduction of the façade design course could potentially see future students from the programs serve the industry with enhanced knowledge in façade design. This paper will present the content and structure of the proposed course and will discuss the contribution of this course to the programs, and to the architecture, engineering, and construction industries.