The glazing advice available online generally focuses on preventing heat from escaping, but that is the wrong approach for the UAE. In this country, air conditioning is used for most of the year, so the real issue isn’t about preventing heat from escaping in winter; it’s about preventing the sun’s heat from entering during the summer. This difference completely alters
If you tell some developers about value engineering, the idea that comes to mind is that it means cutting costs. But if you ask an experienced facade engineer, they will interpret it as achieving the same level of performance at a lower cost, without changing any components that are actually important. These are quite different kinds of discussions, and it
Three architects might specify the same rainscreen system and yet end up with entirely different buildings, since the outer panel material does most of the work in terms of appearance and performance. Although ACP, terracotta, and natural stone all use the same ventilated-cavity principle, they differ significantly in weight, fire rating, cost, and maintenance requirements. Rainscreen cladding includes a ventilated
If you’ve walked past a modern office tower, hospital or apartment block and noticed crisp metal, stone-look or composite panels with neat, open joints, there’s a good chance you were looking at rainscreen cladding. It has become one of the most widely used facade approaches in contemporary architecture, and for good reason: it protects the building, helps manage heat and
Green building compliance is usually regarded as an MEP and energy modelling issue addressed after the facade has already been designed. That is the wrong approach. The building envelope, the glazing area, the shading strategy, the insulation, and the selected materials are among the most important factors in meeting either Dubai’s Al Sa’fat or Abu Dhabi’s Estidama requirements. Once decisions
When you enter a hotel lobby and find that the whole glass wall appears to be floating with nothing obviously supporting it, you’re seeing structural glazing in action. There are no mullions, no visible frame, merely glass and a small number of subtle stainless steel fittings which take on all the structural duties. The effect looks easy, but achieving it
If you’ve ever walked past a glass tower in Dubai where the aluminium frame almost disappears and the entire exterior reads as one continuous sheet of glass, you’ve seen a slim facade in action. Slim facade Dubai projects have become one of the most requested looks in high-end UAE architecture, yet the system behind that look is still poorly understood
Facade renovation includes assessment, design, approval, procurement, and installation, often while people still use the building. Knowing these steps ahead of time helps keep the project on track. A typical commercial facade renovation in Dubai has five stages: condition assessment, design and approval, procurement, phased installation, and final inspection. Timelines can range from a few weeks for small repairs to
If you put out a tender for ‘facade works’, you could get quotations from three different companies: one that makes the panels, one that assembles the panels into facade units, and one that fits the completed units onto the buildings. Each of them might call themselves a facade company. It might not be clear who is responsible should any problems
If you own a building in Dubai, facade inspection requirements have changed significantly. Law No. 3 of 2026 now mandates a Quality and Safety Certificate for most buildings, including an assessment of facade integrity. If you have not yet reviewed how this affects your property, it is important to do so promptly. Dubai’s Law No. 3 of 2026 requires most