Among the many continuing education opportunities available to members of the AEC industry, the Facades+ conference series stands out for a number of reasons.
Not least of these is its unique two-day format, which combines a symposium packed with top-tier keynotes, panel discussions, Q&A sessions, and networking breaks with an opportunity to dive deep into facade design and fabrication in a hands-on tech/lab or dialog workshop.
Facades+ Chicago, timed to coincide with the inaugural Chicago Architecture Biennial, includes a particularly impressive lineup of workshops. Attendees can choose one of three day-long tech workshops or a total of two of six half-day dialog workshops. Tech workshops include “Dynamo for Computational BIM,” led by Autodesk’s Colin McCrone and Neal Burnham, and “Integrated Parametric Daylighting and Energy Modeling for High Performance Building Design,” with the University of Pennsylvania School of Design’s Mostapha Roudsari, creator of Ladybug and Honeybee. The third tech workshop, “Curtain Wall Systems: From Sketch to Completion” is a Facades+ first. With guidance from Bart Harrington and Richard Braunstein, both of YKK AP America, participants will learn about different curtain wall system types and installation techniques by assembling, installing, and glazing a series of mockups.
The Facades+ Chicago dialog workshop offerings are equally wide-ranging, and some of them extend upon the symposium’s content. Morning sessions include “New Techniques in Parametric Design,” with SOM’s Neil Katz and Joel Putnam, “Energy Efficient or Healthy Buildings: Do We Have to Choose?” led by Dr. Helen Sanders (Sage Glass), Steve Fronek (Wausau Window and Wall Systems), Jim Baney (Schuler Shook), and Soyoung Hwang (WELL Building Institute), and Part I of “Listening to the Facade: Acoustic Design Considerations and Techniques for the Building Envelope,” with Ryan Biziorek and Fiona Gillan, both of Arup, and JGMA’s Juan Moreno. During the afternoon, attendees can choose among “Facades Driving Indoor Environments,” led by Stephen Ray (SOM), Arathi Gowda (SOM), Narada Golden (YR&G), and Lisa White (Passive House Institute US), “Performance Validation of Facades Through Simulation and Testing,” with Buro Happold’s Emir Pekdemir, USG Corporation’s AJ Rao, and Derek Cavataio, of Architectural Testing, Inc., or Part II of the ARUP/JGMA panel. The afternoon session on “Listening to the Facade” includes a field trip to the Arup SoundLab, a short walk down the Chicago River at 35 East Wacker Drive.
Enrollment in dialog and tech workshops is extremely limited—sign up today to secure your place. Register or learn more at the Facades+ Chicago website.
