From city’s station to station city


 V JOURNAL OF FACADE DESIGN & ENGINEERING   VOLUME 7 / NUMBER 1 / 2019

Editorial

Welcome to our final JFDE issue of 2020, a year defined by the global covid-19 outbreak, which has 

had a drastic impact on all our lives, ranging from global politics to our daily routines. Conversely, 

most academic activities had to switch from a physical setting to a virtual environment (a situation 

that is still very much the case in Europe). We have had to learn how to interact via digital tools 

and especially seize and promote the value of not just written information, but also the potential 

behind virtual conferences, workshops, and events to keep in touch with our colleagues, friends, 

and fellow researchers.

Well, what else can we say… it has worked surprisingly well. Although most of us are certainly 

looking forward to regaining the closeness that regular, daily interaction brings to our academic 

lives -may this be in education or research-, we are also truly aware of, and amazed by, the benefits 

that have come from this widespread digital conversion to virtual settings. We currently have 

the possibility to easily engage with researchers and students from all over the world, increasing 

the dissemination of relevant knowledge, and sparking the formation of new exchange networks, 

regardless of our physical distance. A special mention in this regard goes to the potential CO
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emissions that may be saved by decreasing our work-related travels. Does it really make sense to 

fly around the globe for just one talk at a conference? - maybe not. And yes, we can even have social 

interaction via digital tools, which of course works, but this is one aspect in which it can be shown 

that things are not the same. Personal contact cannot be replaced. Organised matches at scientific 

events, spontaneous meetings over coffee, and, of course, the direct contact among students are 

all essential activities that we will be happy to resume once this crisis is over, while hopefully 

we will continue to reap the unintended benefits and lessons that came with it. So, expect hybrid 

to be the new normal!

Now, about the articles showcased in this issue: Prefab, Bricks, and Water seem to be the core 

topics addressed by the researchers. It is interesting to see so many different approaches when it 

comes to prefabrication as a general strategy for the development of a design concept. The same 

goes for the articles that explore the use of water, either as a thermal energy carrier, or its impact 

on the hygrothermal performance of buildings. Finally, it is always fascinating to see clear links 

between theoretical scientific developments and the design and production of components for 

application in real buildings. So, once again we have quite a wide range of themes throughout this 

issue, but as it often is with the built environment, all of these different aspects add to the general 

knowledge about façades, finding their way into real building envelopes that perform and function 

under a holistic approach.

The Editors in Chief,

Ulrich Knaack 

Tillmann Klein


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