We have witnessed a growing demand for facades in the last few years

- T. CHANDRASEKHAR

Director-Technical, Aparna Enterprises

How is the trend evolving in the façade and its applications in India?

A bright and contemporary façade requires a lot of thought and engineering, from design to material selection to contractor selection and installation.

Both from the perspective of the consumers and the architect, facades are the most crucial component of a building. Additionally, they are difficult to design because the perception and cutting-edge façades technology is constantly changing. For example, glass aluminium façades have become ancient as modern materials including rusted iron panels, zinc, copper, and steel, as well as high pressure laminates, are available in the market.

The use of materials and facade treatments has increased significantly over the past ten years. Nowadays, facades serve more useful purposes than a decorative one. The most recent application trend in India uses a variety of materials to clad buildings, including glass, wood composite polymers, tiles, dry cladding systems, solar screens, aluminium, titanium, and zinc.

How is façade system transforming from just aesthetics to a functional element in building structures?

Facades' primary function is to create a barrier that separates a building's interior from the outside world. High-performing facades are more than just physical barriers between the inside and outside of a building; rather, they are integrated building systems that actively respond to their surroundings to produce comfortable interiors while also drastically lowering the building's energy usage.

Additionally, a well-structured facade will maximize natural light and ventilation in the building. The sturdiness and toughness that facades provide to a structure is another advantage that endures strong winds and rain. The final advantage of building facades is the potential reduction in noise pollution by creating a sturdy barrier.

What is the demand-supply scenario of façade systems in India?

We have witnessed a growing demand for facades in the last few years. The India facade market achieved a value of US$ 2,424.4 million in 2021, according to the most recent research analysis, "India Facade Market: Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2022-2027. It is estimated to reach US$ 3,930.4 million by 2027.”

Nowadays, the preference for the façade is constantly evolving. Earlier commercial buildings focused more on facades but now residential buildings are also choosing facades. The major reason being the sturdy material used to make facades is it protects the building from noise pollution and creates a barrier from the outer world.

How do the demand and applications for façade systems vary in commercial and residential buildings?

Commercial building and residential building have their own set of advantage look wise and utilities. The façade primarily holds importance from appearance, superior performance and design standpoint setting the tone of the building and the final selection of the type of façade plays a crucial role in differentiating a building's aesthetics and function-wise. Sustainable façade material which is capable of shielding buildings from environmental harms like strong wind, heat, and extreme rains has led to the demand for its growth. With technological innovations taking place more frequently, the development of energy-saving façade material has taken birth as these advanced products are powerful solar energy absorbers and hence find widespread adoption by many commercial and residential buildings as a backup source of electricity generation. Over the next eight years, the product demand in commercial buildings is expected to remain high due to the growing need for safety measures and ambiance in the corporate and hospitality industry. To name a few facades for building structures include steel and glass façade, panel frame façades, solar shading façade, kinetic façade, dynamic façade, etc.

In residential facades systems, aluminium and uPVC, both will co-exist with aluminium being the choice for long and tall systems and uPVC for high level noise insulation and thermal properties. The client's budget generally decides on the selection of aluminium or uPVC for their premium apartments or properties. Façade systems used in residential aluminium products (higher-end) are sliding window, tilt and turn window, ventilators, fixed window, villa window and casement window etc. While the façade systems that have been used in residential uPVC products (higher-end) are casement windows, sliding windows, arch windows, special windows, and coloured windows offer architectural design with suitably placed colour handles and other hardware.

What are the products and solutions offered by the company?

We at Aparna Craft are presently providing services for the most commonly used façade system like bespoke unitized & semi-unitized curtain walls, metal & metal composite cladding (ACP, aluminium, zinc, SS, atriums, spiders, shop fronts, canopies). We have professionals who are well versed and have knowledge of BIM modeling, thermal and acoustic analysis, finite element analysis to meet the structural requirements and ensuring the façade stability along with warranties of all materials.

What are the design and technological developments happening in the façade industry, and what future do you see for the market?

Regarding Design Technologies in Façade, nowadays façade contractors are designing the façade element in BIM model, to analyse the whole structure using FEA (Finite Element Analysis) and simulation. All kinds of upgradation happened in the recent past in the market due to the competition and differentiation from others. It also shows the aggression of optimising the system, research, and development skills in  the core.

The development of sustainable facade materials offering the capability of shielding buildings from environmental conditions such as heat, wind, and rain is a primary factor in its growth in demand. The kind of façade you opt for plays a major role in terms of making your building stand out aesthetics-wise as well as function-wise. The product demand in commercial buildings is expected to remain high over the next eight years owing to the growing need for better safety measures and ambiance in the corporate and the hospitality industry.

The goal is to provide customized solutions by bringing in the latest technologies and high-class products, backed by a high level of services, including installation. Along with keeping up with the latest trends, we also work towards building a better and greener future through the use of eco-friendly materials for sustainable development. It has been our goal to bend the paradigm involving products and services with short, linear life spans into a circular value stream that includes products and services that are a part of a sustainable economy.

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