Design2 - Augmenting Architectural Reality 2

Facades
Facades on longer have to form part of the structure as loadbearing walls, but are a skin that wraps the building and gives it personality through the materials, textures, colors and compositions.
As external elements that are visible from outside the building, facades have reflected the cultural and aesthetic changes and the evolution of the customs of their users. One of the aspects that has marked the evolution of facades has been the discovery of new building materials such as concrete, which in the 20th century led to a definitive change towards specialization and autonomy of the facade. Facades are also to a certain extent the letter of introduction to the architectural work, the first thing we see. They may seduce us or make us despair, and through their reading one can imagine the nature of what is hidden behind them.
At present, though facades still in many cases show new, valid and attractive ideas, one of the main problems of contemporary architecture is the absence of an authentic system of industrialized facades that solves the functional requirements whilst conserving lightness and modernity.
Though there is an increasing number of specialists in walls and the production of mass-produced an tailor-made facades is increasing, there are still many technical aspects that must be resolved a posterior. These aspects, often undervalued, are those that give validity to the design by walls that make up a building, providing protection from the weather and the external environment. Therefore, this part of the building must meet requirements of habitability, stability and durability such as:
- Protection against the wind
- Expansion joints
- Respect for structural joints
- Acoustic insulation
- Thermal insulation
- Protection against moisture, including rain, snow and condensation.

Glass facade is my favorite.It is able to overcome the antithesis between interior and exterior.
One of the most spectacular buildings in Federation Square in Melbourne, Australia, is the Atrio, located between the National Gallery of Victoria and the Australian Center for the Moving Image. Its remarkable glass, steel and zinc structure in the form of geometric shapes lets onlookers see inside from the square outside.

Pompidou Center

The great escalators enclosed in transparent tubes along the facade made the ride up and down an integral part of experiencing the architecture, the building, and the city, thus blurring the line between content, container, and surroundings as never before.