urbanLab Magazin 2021 - Transformation

INTRODUCTION
The digital transformation is one of
the main drivers in business development
of our days. While digitization
showed a steady growth path during
the last decades of the 20th century,
it shows an exponential and explosive
growth from the beginning of the 21st
century until today. According to Krys
and Klaus (2017), the most important
levers for this development are: digital
data, automation, connectivity and digital
customer access.
In 2015, McKinsey Global Institute released
their industry digitization index
in which they stated that “the construction
industry is among the least digitized”
(Agarwal et. al 2019). Some of
the main reasons for this are the slow
adoption of processes technology innovations
as well as challenges in project
management, performance management
and supply chain practices.
Furthermore, investment in R&D in the
construction field is far behind other
industries.
Looking at the façade industry, the user
expectation on a modern digitized product
seems to be very clear. It must fit
into the so called smart home concept,
where totally different devices are digitally
connected and communicate with
each other with the aim of improving
the quality of life, security and comfort.
An example application for that is the
so-called scenario control in modern
office rooms: a smart control device
which offers different scenarios that
can be chosen by the user according to
the use of the room. If the room should
be prepared for a meeting, a push on
the correct button controls different
motorized devices: windows get closed
to improve acoustic quality, climatization
regulates temperature and relative
humidity, roller shutters improve
visual quality and reduces heat gains,
the beamer is switched on and is ready
for presentation, etc. But the digital
transformation of the façade business
means much more as the above mentioned
developments are already in
progress. This paper provides insights
into the current situation of façade digitalization
from the perspective of an
international façade system supplier
and gives examples from daily work
and scientific research projects.
THE FAÇADE LIFE-CYCLE WITH
DIGITIZED PROCESS STEPS
The Economic Times (2019) states that
a product life-cycle is a cycle throughout
which every product goes through
from introduction to withdrawal
or eventual demise. This chapter gives
an overview about the façade specific
life-cycle (Figure 1) and how digitization
is already implemented in its different
process steps.
EARLY DESIGN STAGE
In the early planning process, the façade
gets designed and specifications are
defined to meet the technical and aesthetical
requirements of the building.
In this process step a close collaboration,
with an unequivocal exchange of
information, between the project architects,
façade consultants and façade
developers is necessary to achieve
a good façade design. The process
gets more and more digitized thanks
to three-dimensional visualization methods
in form of renderings and movies
that help to provide a realistic representation
of the designed product.
Additionally, the façade industry uses
Fig. 1: The façade life-cycle with its different processes
Daniel Arztmann, Tomas Mena Lozada, Jhosangela Ramírez
DATA DRIVEN DESIGN
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