FMDC discusses how its extensive knowledge of façade systems and materials are used to develop project-specific design solutions.
In association with
The Perelman Performing Arts Center in New York.
Façade and Materials Design Consultants (FMDC) is an employee-owned business established in 2013 when its founding directors left Arup. The company provides façade engineering and materials consultancy from concept design and spatial coordination through technical design to manufacture and construction.
Collaboration and testing
FMDC collaborates closely with architects and other design team members to realise designs that have a clear understanding of and focus on the client’s brief and expectations. Its approach relies heavily on freehand sketching, allowing options to be explored quickly, before the development of 3D models and project-specific CAD drawings.
The company’s close relationships with material suppliers and contractors facilitates the early testing of ideas resulting in designs that can be tendered competitively and procured within cost plan restraints.
Estremoz marble from Portugal was specified for the Perelman Performing Arts Center in New York.
Materials
The materials part of the company focuses currently on stone, concrete, brick, terracotta, metals and glass. Its metal consultancy is delivered in conjunction with Metallurgica Consult, a long standing partner.
FMDC’s Chartered Geologists have extensive knowledge and experience in the use of stone in façades as well as in flooring/paving. They guide clients through the stone selection process and propose suitable alternative stones if this is required. The visual and technical requirements of the stone are always considered and information can be provided with regards to material availability, relative costs and potential suppliers.
Casting aluminium façade elements for Chelsea Barracks (phase four) at AATi foundry in Braintree, Essex.
The company’s knowledge of reliable stones and quarries from around the world includes North and South America, Northern and Southern Africa, East Asia, India and most countries in Europe, allowing it to provide options beyond those typically specified. Alternative material selection can reap financial rewards and limit project risk by moving away from traditional choices to other less well known options.
A 3D model for Chelsea Barracks (phase four) investigating construction sequence and fit.
Thermal performance
Envelope performance is fundamental to the successful delivery of today’s façades. Code compliance is ever more demanding, alongside aspirations for high natural light levels and the increasing desire for natural/mixed mode ventilation, to increase wellbeing.
FMDC is aware that collaboration between the architect, building services engineer, and façade engineer is key to delivering successful holistic solutions. The company places great value in establishing and maintaining mutual trust within design teams and with key collaborators.
Freehand sketches allows options to be explored quickly.
The company’s highly skilled and experienced building physics team can assess all aspects of façade performance that influence energy and comfort. Its strategy for identifying the right solution for each project is based on striving to find to the simplest possible design that allows all requirements to be met.
To enhance its service offering, FMDC has formed a strategic alliance with Inform Design, a Swedish-based specialist practice, who supports our work with advanced parametric energy modelling of façades. The alliance allows the company to evaluate a wide range of façade options, quantifying their impact on solar gains, daylighting, and internal comfort to develop relevant mitigation strategies. It can also model complex façade systems such as double skin and closed cavity façades (CCF).
3D thermal analysis undertaken for a primary structure penetration through the envelope.
Carbon-focused decision making
Carbon is now at the centre of FMDC’s decision-making processes, recognising that a ‘business as usual’ approach will not deliver the necessary reduction in emissions and reflecting the wider industry’s shift towards low carbon buildings.
The company calculates the embodied carbon of façade systems and can assess all lifecycle stages for both individual products and assemblies, from manufacturing to installation through to maintenance, replacement and end of life.
Robustness testing for the glazed terracotta on One Park Drive at Canary Wharf.
For ‘cut and carve’ projects, it aims to maximise the value of the existing façade materials by re-using them, where this is feasible technically, or recycling them into products of the same value to avoid downcycling.
Jointing a copper alloy sheet for Bloomberg HQ, London using friction stir welding (FSW).
A track record of excellence
Over the last 10 years, the company has provided facade engineering and materials consultancy on acclaimed buildings such as Bloomberg HQ, 4 Pancras Square, 1 Park Drive and Chelsea Barracks (phase four) in London, as well as the Perelman Performing Arts Center in New York.
Contact Details
For more information or to view detailed case studies, please visit the FMDC website.
Source: Architecture Today