PowerSkin Conference 2019

Addressing the Future of Buildings

The building skin has evolved enormously over the past decades. Energy performance and environmental quality of buildings are significantly determined by the building envelope. The façade has experienced a change in its role as an adaptive climate control system that leverages the synergies between form, material, mechanical and energy systems in an integrated design.

The Technical University of Munich, Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Thomas Auer, TU Darmstadt, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jens Schneider and TU Delft, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ulrich Knaack launched the PowerSkin Conference in collaboration with BAU 2017 two years ago. It was the first event of a biennial series: For next year's BAU 2019 architects, engineers and scientists are going to present their latest developments and research projects for public discussion.

The presentations will showcase recent scientific research and developments as well as projects related to building skins from the perspectives of material, technological and design.

The PowerSkin Conference aims to address the role of building skins to accomplish a carbon neutral building stock. Topics such as building operation, embodied energy, energy generation and storage in context of evelope, energy and environment are considered.

Digital Processes in Façade Design and Construction

The title above is the conference's guiding theme of 2019. To submit a paper, the authors were asked to raise the question:
How can digital tools and methods promote change towards a decarbonization of the built environment and improve wellbeing?

The conference showcases presentations about recent scientific research developments regarding the guiding theme. Three sub topics are provided for authors to choose their field of expertise:

Envelope: The building envelope as an interface for the interaction between indoor and outdoor environment. This topic is focused on functionality, technical development and material properties.

Energy: New concepts, accomplished projects, and visions for the interaction between building structure, envelope and energy technologies.

Environment: Façades or elements of façades which aim for the provision of highly comfortable surroundings where environmental control strategies as well as energy generation and/or storage are an integrated part of an active skin.

The PowerSkin proceedings and JFDE are now available for free download:

PowerSkin Conference 2019 | Proceedings

Journal of Facade Design & Engineering Volume 7 | Number 1 | 2019