Crafting the Façade : Stone, Brick, Wood

Over the course of three years, the Institute of Architecture and Planning at the University of Liechtenstein, the Mackintosh School of Architecture in Glasgow, and the Academie van Bouwkunst, Amsterdam, cooperated on an international research project dedicated to the design of façades.

Crafting the Façade presents the results of this productive cooperative study, which cut across disciplines to look at historical developments in the design and building of façades, the theoretical underpinnings that can explain these developments, the common materials and their main characteristics, and the techniques used in assembly. The project also prompted a great deal of innovative design work, including detailed drawings at a scale of 1:10 and the design and construction of life-size prototypes in stone, brick, and wood—all of which are reproduced here among the book’s two hundred illustrations. Through their leadership roles with the project, editors Urs Meister, Carmen Rist-Stadelmann, and Machiel Spaan also reflect in Crafting the Façade on the learning processes that emerged from the project and offer guidance and resources for others looking to delve into this topic in depth.

Urs Meister is a partner with Kaferstein & Meister Architects in Zurich and professor of design and construction at the University of Liechtenstein. Carmen Rist-Stadelmann is an architect and a lecturer at the University of Liechtenstein. Machiel Spaan teaches at the Academie van Bouwkunst and is a partner with M3H Architects, Amsterdam.
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