Facade

A facade is any exterior face of a building, though the word usually means the principal one: the side that meets the street, the public and the first impression. It is where much of a building's identity is set, through the choice of materials, the rhythm of openings, the depth of the wall and how the base, middle and top are handled. The facade also carries technical work, such as solar shading, thermal performance, drainage and fire rules, so its design runs from early concept through to construction detailing.

How it shows up in a project

• Facade studies keep the volume fixed and test variations: brick against timber, punched windows against ribbon glazing, deep reveals against flush glass.
• The elevation is the drawing that fixes the facade, but a perspective view shows how depth, shadow and material actually read from the street.
• Window to wall ratio affects daylight, energy use and appearance at once, and a window to wall ratio calculator helps check it early.
• Planning authorities often judge a scheme largely by its street facade, so those views tend to get the most attention in a submission.
• Context matters: neighbors' cornice heights, materials and plot widths often shape what is acceptable.

In Rendair

Elevation to Render turns a flat elevation drawing into a rendered facade, which suits quick option studies. To test a different cladding on an existing image, Change Material swaps the material while keeping the geometry, so several versions can be compared on one board.