The facade is the building’s interface with its environment. It is here that building physics parameters such as heat, humidity, sound, and light interface with the building and impact on it. All these influences need to be controlled by the building envelope in order to ensure the comfort of the user and the functional capability of the architecture.

This introduction explains the most important phenomena and then relates them to practical building situations – which materials react in which way to these factors? How do facade systems deal with heat, humidity, sound, and light? This practical book, which is the result of cooperation between an architect and a structural engineer, describes the most important facade materials and constructions under the aspect of their building physics performance.