The 10 Principles of Building Facade Resilience are part of the series Resilience and the Building Facade by Mic

Patterson, which is the subject of ongoing research collaboration between the University of Southern California
School of Architecture and the Advanced Technology Studio of Enclos.

1
Resilient facades bend
and absorb impacts
without breaking.
Design to mitigate damage that may pro-
duce economic stress and slow recovery in
the wake of a disaster. Above all, protect the
health and safety of the building occupants
during and after a disaster, over the lifecycle
of the building.

2 Resilience is contextual.

10
Design each facade in accordance with
unique conditions of building use, site, con-
figuration, microclimate, functional require-
ments, facade orientation, and future-look-

PRINCIPLES
ing disaster risk assessment.

3
OF
Resilience and
performance are linked.
A resilient facade will contribute to building

BUILDING
material, energy efficiency and other sustain-
ability considerations, thereby supporting
sustainable buildings and communities. Sus-
tainable communities are more resilient. Bind

FACADE
resilience goals and supporting strategies to
considerations of performance and sustain-
ability.

RESILIENCE
 6 9
Anticipate future Design to mitigate Design for safety, health
conditions and establish damage resulting from and comfort to enhance

4
resilience goals for the
facade system early in
the design process.
Resilience will not be achieved in the absence
of clear, specific and measurable commit-
ments established early in the design phase.
Prepare a building resilience plan that consid-
shocks.
Excessive damage to facade systems re-
sulting form shocks can produce long-term
economic stresses that impact resilience at
the broader scale of community, region and
nation.
resilience.
The motive for a more resilient built environ-
ment is in support of more resilient commu-
nities, and ultimately, a more resilient human
population. People, on average, spend about
90% of their time indoors (EPA 2011). Human
safety, health and comfort, then, are largely
shaped by the interior environment, which in

ers the building facade within the context of
future conditions of climate, site, building and
habitat. Adopt a performance-based target
(e.g., no envelope breach in a 500-year event;
maintain structural integrity for 5000-year
event). Use evidenced-based research and
forecast data in areas where historical data
may prove inadequate (e.g., evolving climate
change impacts).
7
Think beyond shocks.
Resilient design considers both short-term
shocks and long-term stresses. Durability,
adaptability, redundancy and simplicity are all
fundamental attributes of sustainability that
work to enhance resilience.
turn is largely shaped by the building skin as
arbiter between conditions inside and outside.
Occupant safety is reliant upon the integrity
of the facade system throughout the range
of possible exterior conditions. In addition,
the provision of view, daylight, and access to
fresh air are contributory to human health and
comfort, thereby directly contributing to a
more resilient human population.

10
Prevent facade breach

8
Think beyond the facade
and materials falling system to the building
from facade system and urban habitat. Design for beauty.

5
from extreme wind
pressures and impacts
from airborne debris.
A breach of the facade will greatly increase
the odds of further damage to the facade
system and nearby buildings, and increase the
risk of injury to building occupants and the
public. The breach can amplify wind pressures
acting on the facade, and materials separat-
ing from the facade system can impact other
areas of the facade, neighboring buildings,
people and infrastructure at ground level.
Over-design anchorage systems. Enhance
infill panel retention (e.g., glass) by increasing
framing bite (depth of panel capture).
Consider ways that the facade can contribute Let the constraints imposed by considerations
to greater building resilience. Facade-inte- of resilience inspire the art of the building skin.
grated photovoltaics, for example, may not Beautiful facades will yield admired and re-
enhance the resilience of the facade system spected buildings that will be maintained and
per se, but hold great potential to increase preserved, contributing to durability, extend-
building resilience in the event of disruptions ing service life, and enhancing the resilience
to the power grid. There is even the potential of the habitat in which they reside.
for large buildings to be developed as power
sources for their local community, a capability
that could help offset the resource consump-
tion represented by these buildings. At least in
the case of tall buildings, this would necessi-
tate activating the facade systems. Similarly,
the facade system may be employed to
harvest rainwater and condensate to replen-
ish gray-water storage that can keep waste
systems working during periods of infrastruc-
ture disruption, or as a potable water supply if
purification systems are included.

EPA 2011. Indoor air. United States Environmental Protection Agency. Last updated 10 March 2011.
Accessed 15 February 2015:
http://cfpub.epa.gov/eroe/index.cfm?fuseaction=list.listBySubTopic&ch=46&s=343

MIC PATTERSON, LEED AP (BD+C)

Mic Patterson is a designer, researcher, educator, futurist, author, photographer, and entrepreneur. He has concentrated his professional
and academic career on advanced faade technology and sustainable building practices. He pioneered the introduction of structural glass
faade technology in the US in the 1990s, implementing diverse and novel applications including cable trusses, cable nets, grid shells, and
structural glass installations. Patterson was among the founding group of the Advanced Technology Studio of Enclos (a leading international
curtainwall contracting firm) where he works as the Vice President of Strategic Development. He is co-founder of the Faade Tectonics
Journal and conference series, and founder and co-director of the Facades+ conference series. He is on the technical research committee
for GlassCon Global, a member of the Advisor Group for the Council for Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, a member of the Green Advantage
Certification Board, and the International Glazier Certification Board. He was named among the glass and glazing industrys most influential
people in 2012 and 2014. Patterson is a PhD candidate in the School of Architecture at the University of Southern California with a research
focus on sustainable faade technology and renovation practices. He has taught, written extensively, and lectured internationally on diverse
aspects of architectural glass and advanced faade technology. He is the author of Structural Glass Facades and Enclosures.