High-performanceenvelope materials,load-bearing, cladding, infill.

Secondary facade frames, atrium structures, signature steel-glass curtain walls, monumental glazed roof structures. Steel offers a strength-to-weight ratio more favourable than aluminium for long spans and slim profiles. Welded hollow sections (RHS, CHS) for facades with visible framing, rolled sections for facades with discreet integration. Anti-corrosion treatments : hot-dip galvanising (EN ISO 1461) for outdoor exposure, multi-coat industrial paint per ISO 12944 for visible parts, powder-coated finishes for signature architecture. The steel facade requires careful instruction of thermal bridges and thermal break devices at framing penetrations.

Corten cladding is a self-weathering steel (copper / chrome / phosphorus alloy) that develops, over two to three years, a stable orange-brown oxide layer protecting the underlying metal. Strict use as applied ventilated cladding over an air gap, never as exposed load-bearing element without drainage because the patina runs and stains the supports. The corten facade demands millimetric panel layout (maximum formats around 1500 × 6000 mm depending on transformers), drainage of patina runoff during the early years, and a minimum distance to light-coloured plinths to avoid streaking. The steel facade in lacquered finish (cassettes, bends, lamellas) covers signature urban programmes and high-end office work. Reference frame EN 14782 for metal cladding products.

CLT (cross-laminated multi-layer panels, EN 16351) and glulam (EN 14080) carry secondary facade frames and timber curtain walls in low-carbon office programmes, high-end residential, signature public infrastructure. Canonical species : spruce for routine structure, larch for exposed uses, douglas fir for intermediate spans. Timber curtain wall demands fine instruction of hygrothermal behaviour (dimensional movement of the species, joint drainage, edge protection), fire performance (REI per programme and height), and durability (use classes 1 to 4 per EN 335). The timber facade is compatible with bio-sourced certifications (label biosourcé, FSC/PEFC, Cradle to Cradle, Lignum Suisse).

Timber cladding as applied ventilated timber facade mobilises naturally durable species (larch, douglas, red cedar, chestnut, robinia) or thermo-treated timber, with or without saturator, on a timber or metal sub-frame. Layout plays on scale (narrow boards for signature residential, wide boards for office stock), orientation (vertical, horizontal, oblique), and profile (flat board, open-jointed, lapped). Ventilated installation over an air gap is required by DTU 41.2 and EN 14915. Aesthetic ageing management is central : homogeneous greying or saturator-controlled, maintenance frequency, fire class per height (Bs2d0 minimum in France for ERP programmes).

Infill glazing plays the grid independent from cladding : opaque enamelled glass (ceramic print fired at 600°C, long-term stable chromatic palette), screen-printed patterned glass (transparency control through pattern density, passive solar control), laminated safety glass (PVB, SGP) for infill exposed to vandalism or fall. Reference frames EN 12150 (toughening), EN 14449 (laminated safety), DTU 39 (glazing trade). Opaque or screen-printed glazing covers spandrel zones, parapets, signature photographic-pattern facades. The dedicated page Structural glass & Jumbo Glazing covers load-bearing glass ; this plate addresses infill only.

ETFE (ethylene tetrafluoroethylene) plays two distinct roles. As a multi-layer pneumatic cushion (two to four layers inflated by low-pressure blowers), it is a transparent infill of very high translucency, transparency-tunable through inter-layer screen printing, integrating scenographic lighting. It occupies the infill function within a load-bearing grid in steel or aluminium. As a tensioned structural membrane, ETFE in thick-film or PTFE/glass-fibre and PVC/polyester fabrics covers long spans (stadiums, atria, event halls, signature pavilions) through algorithmic form-finding and mechanical pre-stress on cables and masts. Reference frames EN 13782 (tents), DIN 4134 (textile structures), ASCE 55-10 (Tensioned Membrane Structures). Service lives : 15 years PVC/PES, 30+ years PTFE and ETFE. Our native computational practice form-finding ↔ non-linear FEA ↔ digital wind tunnel allows iterative dialogue with signature architects.