Facade
A facade or "façade" (IPAEng|fəˈsɑːd) is generally one side of the exterior of a
building , especially the front, but also sometimes the sides and rear. The word comes from theFrench language , literally meaning "frontage " or "face ".In
architecture , the facade of a building is often the most important from adesign standpoint, as it sets thetone for the rest of the building. Many facades are historic, and localzoning regulations or otherlaw s greatly restrict or even forbid their alteration.Highrise facades
In modern
highrise buildings, the exterior walls are often suspended from theconcrete floor slabs. Examples includecurtain wall s and precast concrete walls. The facade can at times be required to have afire-resistance rating , for instance, if two buildings are very close together, to lower the likelihood offire spreading from onebuilding to another.Whether rated or not,
fire protection is always a design consideration both in terms of concern for the subject building as well as for the surroundings, as falling glass can endanger pedestrians, firefighters and firehoses below. An example of this is the [http://www.lafire.com/famous_fires/880504_1stInterstateFire/050488_InterstateFire.htm First Interstate Bank Fire] inLos Angeles ,California . The fire here leapfrogged up the tower by shattering the glass and then consuming thealuminium skeleton holding the glass. Aluminium's melting temperature is 660 °C, whereas building fires can reach 1,100 °C. The melting point of aluminium is typically reached within minutes of the start of afire .Firestop s for such building joints can be qualified to [http://www.eram21.com UL 2079 -- Tests for Fire Resistance of Building Joint Systems] . Sprinklering of each floor has a profoundly positive effect on the fire safety of buildings with curtain walls. In the case of the aforementioned fire, it was specifically the activation of the newly installed sprinkler system, which halted the advance of the fire and allowed effective suppression.Some
building code s also limit the percentage of window area in exterior walls. When the exterior wall is not rated, the perimeter slab edge becomes a junction where rated slabs are abutting an unrated wall. For rated walls, one may also choose ratedwindow s andfire door s, to maintain that wall's rating.Film sets
On a film set, many of the buildings are "only" facades, which are far cheaper than actual buildings, and not subject to
building code s. These are simply held up with supports from behind, and sometimes have boxes foractor s to step in and out of from the front if necessary for a scene.References
ee also
*
Curtain wall
*Facadism
*Potemkin village Further reading
*citation|contribution=Façade
contribution-url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05745c.htm
last=Poole|first=Thomas
title=The Catholic Encyclopedia
volume=Vol. 5.
place=New York
publisher=Robert Appleton Company
year=1909
access-date=2008-08-08. The article outlines the development of the façade in ecclesiatical architecture from the early Christian period to the Renaissance.
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façade — [ fasad ] n. f. • 1611; fassade 1565; it. facciata, de faccia « face » 1 ♦ Face antérieure d un bâtiment où s ouvre l entrée principale, donnant le plus souvent sur la rue. ⇒ 2. devant, front. « Le plan de cette belle façade du Louvre [...] qui… … Encyclopédie Universelle
Façade — • The face or front of any building. In ecclesiastical architecture the term is generally used to designate the west front; sometimes the transept fronts Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Facade Façade … Catholic encyclopedia
Facade — Façade Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom … Wikipédia en Français
facade — UK [fəˈsɑːd] / US [fəˈsɑd] or façade UK / US noun Word forms facade : singular facade plural facades 1) [countable] the front of a building, especially one that is large or impressive 2) [singular] a false appearance or way of behaving that hides … English dictionary
Façade — Façade, (italiensk facciata, forside) er benævnelsen på forsiden af en bygning; man taler vel tillige om side facade, men facade betegner for byhuses vedkommende forsiden, den, som ved sin dekorative udstyrelse udtrykker bygningens karakter og… … Danske encyklopædi
façade — Façade. s. f. Frontispice d un grand edifice. La façade d une Eglise. la façade d un Palais … Dictionnaire de l'Académie française
facade — 1650s, front of a building, from Fr. façade (16c.), from It. facciata, from faccia face, from V.L. *facia (see FACE (Cf. face) (n.)). Figurative use by 1845 … Etymology dictionary
facade — , façade (fah SAHD) [French, from Italian] The main face or front of a building; the side visible to the public. An outward appearance, especially one designed to make a good impression; a false front. the façade of whose 18th century… … Dictionary of foreign words and phrases
facade — or façade [fə säd′] n. [Fr < It facciata < faccia < VL facia: see FACE] 1. the front of a building; part of a building facing a street, courtyard, etc. 2. the front part of anything: often used figuratively, with implications of an… … English World dictionary
Facade — Fa [,c]ade (f[.a] s[.a]d or f[.a] s[=a]d ), n. [F., fr. It. facciata, fr. faccia face, L. facies. See {Face}.] (Arch.) The front of a building; esp., the principal front, having some architectural pretensions. Thus a church is said to have its… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Façade — (fr., spr. Fasahd), die Außenseite eines Bauwerks, daher Vorder od. Haupt F., die nach der Straße zugekehrte, u. Seiten F. u. hintere F., die nach dem Hofe, Garten od. einer unbedeutenderen Straße zugekehrte Seite. Die symmetrische Gliederung der … Pierer's Universal-Lexikon