SFE News

Article category: News
Published on: 27 Jun 24

Meet the SFE Hub Representatives

The Society of Façade Engineering's membership is a worldwide network of professionals across the façade industry, with over a thousand members around the globe. To enable the SFE to provide useful services to such a widespread community, we have established localised hubs to organise and operate on a regional basis.

Article category: News
Published on: 04 Jan 24

SoPHE Technical Conference 2024 Sponsorship Opportunities

We are delighted to give SoPHE Industrial Associates a chance to sponsor the Annual SoPHE Technical Conference 2024 - Rainwater.

Article category: News
Published on: 01 Jan 00

In conversation with Neesha Gopal

Neesha Gopal joined Foster + Partners as a Façade Specialist for the Technical Design Group in July 2023. She is a chartered Architect, studying at Nottingham, Brighton and Kingston Universities. Following several years as a project and site-based architect, she specialised in Façade Engineering joining Whitbybird in 2003. Her career has included Façade Team Director of Ramboll UK and Regional Director for Meinhardt Façade Technology, UK and Europe. Before joining F+P, Neesha was Head of Façades for Europe at Lendlease. Neesha has also chartered as a Project Manager and has an MSc in Façade Engineering with distinction from Bath University. Neesha is active within the industry, as a member of the Technical Committee for CWCT and committee member for the Society of Façade Engineering. As an advocate for Women in Construction, she is active in judging several awards for different facets of the Built Environment.

Article category: News
Published on: 01 Jan 00

Spotlight Academia: Brick Soleil- Exploration of a high-performance façade strategy

The MEGA 2025 course at TU Delft is a multidisciplinary design studio focused on the integrated development of complex and large-scale urban architectures in response to the current climate and material crises. The Canyon’s façade strategy was honoured to receive the award for Most Innovative Façade Design among a studio filled with many outstanding and creative façade proposals. It was truly inspiring to see the diverse ideas and dedication of all peers throughout the process.

Article category: News
Published on: 01 Jan 00

Spotlight Facade Awards: The Deep Veil: The Architecture of a High-Performance Equatorial Façade

The adaptive reuse of SDE1 and SDE3 at the National University of Singapore—collectively the Equatorial School of Architecture—advances a façade strategy that redefines building envelopes for equatorial performance including netzero energy operations (Figure 1). Where the conventional curtain wall is sealed and mechanically dependent, this project introduces a seven-metre-thick façade system—termed the Deep Veil—that operates simultaneously as shading device, daylighting infrastructure, maintenance access, and pedagogical surface calibrated to its urban equatorial context.

Article category: News
Published on: 01 Jan 00

Spotlight Awards: Northcliffe House – A Refined Fusion of Heritage, Performance, and Sustainability

Located in London, Northcliffe House is an exemplar of sensitive renovation and ambitious engineering. Originally constructed in the 1920s–30s for the Daily Mail printing press and offices, the building underwent various adaptations—including a conversion into commercial offices in the 1970s and a refurbishment in the early 2000s. Thornton Tomasetti joined the project at Stage 3 in November 2020, supporting construction through its practical completion in 2024, following planning approval in December 2020. The project was delivered by John Robertson Architects, and main contractor ISG, with OAG supplying the curtain walling.

Article category: News
Published on: 01 Jan 00

CWCT Update Autumn 2025

The latest CWCT update including sustainability and fire guidance.

Article category: News
Published on: 01 Jan 01

Women Shaping Façades: A Look at Gender Demographics

In celebration of International Women’s Day 2025 #IWD2025 which this year bears the tag #AccelerateAction, the Society of Façade Engineering has committed to increasing equality, diversity and representation of women in the industry.

Article category: News
Published on: 01 Jan 01

SFE Hubs: What we have been up to March 2025

The SFE Hubs have continued their busy schedule of events, providing SFE members with engaging content on an international scale.

Article category: News
Published on: 01 Jan 01

Spotlight Awards: The Refurbishment of a Grade II-listed Cable Net Facade

The iconic building of Channel 4 Headquarters in London, originally designed by Richard Rogers in the 1990s, is Grade II-listed with only a few of its kind around the world. It reflects an era of ‘design by testing’ where boundaries were pushed and technical excellence was defined. The result is a highly engineered 20-metre-high curved curtain wall façade that combines ground-breaking features such as suspended glass panels, shock-absorbing suspension springs and a pre-tensioned cable net fixed to an ingenious steel crown. After twenty-five years, the façade was showing its age and needed care and attention.

Article category: News
Published on: 01 Jan 01

Spotlight awards: Airshade: A thermo-responsive shading system

In an era where energy efficiency and sustainable design are becoming more central to architectural innovations, technologies like the Airshade system have emerging as practical solutions for improving comfort in external and internal environments.

Article category: News
Published on: 01 Jan 01

Spotlight Façade Awards: Embracing Digital Innovation in Façade Engineering: FAT PAnDA by Ramboll

Embracing Digital Innovation in Façade Engineering: FAT PAnDA by Ramboll