Analysis of Façade Engineering in Japan

Japan is currently leading the world in many aspects of facade design and cladding technology development. Many buildings feature the latest technological and environmentally friendly concepts that provide Japanese architects with new possibilities to create impressive and innovative schemes. However, despite such advances and designs, facade engineering in Japan is still problematic. The reasons generally stem from the fact that this field is still evolving, and the function of the facade changes from project to project. In addition, the exact role of the engineer in facade design has yet to be clearly established. In this paper, three models will be presented and discussed: 1) facade engineering managed by general contractors; 2) facade engineering supported by specialized subcontractors; 3) facade engineering through collaboration between architects and engineers. We put Japanese facade engineering into better perspective by analyzing the status of the current field of facade engineering. As this is a developing field, new models must be established. Until that is accomplished, Japanese design and engineering of facades will remain divided and inconsistent. This paper highlights the causes of the problems and hopes of proposing a possible alternative for the future.