A complete traditional facade project mission revolves around the following different tasks:​

• The system design (SD): this is the part of the project where we will have to translate the specifications of the specifications and the expected performance into a carpentry product and make an initial analysis of how we will be able to integrate these specifications into the overall project of the building .
  If we cannot find corresponding commercial products, or if for reasons of economies of scale it is necessary, we can also create specific profiles or concepts to meet the needs of the project.
  The stage of the design system must also allow an in-depth analysis of the feasibility of applying the system in all the specific areas of the project (corner, of buildings, base, parapets, balcony, etc.).
  This step also makes it possible to understand how the envelope will be installed and will therefore define the maximum sizes and weights of the elements that can be installed.

• Approval plans / architectures: once the general concept of the envelope is validated, we can move on to the detailed plans of all the elements of the building envelope which will allow the architect and the control offices to check that the project respects the demands of the imposed specifications and performance (CPE, acoustics, etc.).

  • These plans will show in detail:

  • Joinery, ironwork or metalwork systems applied to the project

  • Screening or shading systems.

  • Anchoring and fixing systems,

  • The principles of insulation and watertightness and airtightness of joinery

  • All the specific details relating to the projects such as a flame arrester system, a system guaranteeing the safety of people, etc.

  • The elevation plans, sections and plan views that will allow you to position each element in the project.

  • Any other relevant detail allowing the architect and the other project companies to coordinate the connections of the other lots with the building envelope (typically, these are the waterproofing lots, false ceilings, false floors, development of the surroundings, and special techniques)

• The technical file: this part is processed at the same time as the previous one; it is a question of compiling all the technical data sheets of the materials or products that we are going to use on the project in order to have them validated.
  It can also be for carpentry products technical approvals or test reports demonstrating that such a range of products corresponds to the needs of the project.
  When developing a new product (new extrusion for example) it will be necessary to demonstrate that it complies with the standards in force and a mockup aimed at demonstrating the performance of the new product designed will be necessary.

• Calculation notes: this part is also treated simultaneously with the two previous ones. These are mainly static calculation notes which make it possible to demonstrate that the products used meet the local requirements of the project (dead weight, loading according to the category of the building, climatic loads such as wind or snow, etc.).
  It can also be a more specific calculation note relating to the thermal or acoustics of the facade elements.
  The objective is however the same for all types of calculation notes: it must make it possible to precisely define the thicknesses of steel or aluminum to be used for the anchorages, the thicknesses of the glazing, the inertia and the materials of the profiles to use, types of anchors to apply, …. In order to guarantee before the realization that the finished project will meet the expectations of the customer​

  • The objective of these 3 steps is to obtain validation of the documents by the various project stakeholders in order to be able to launch production.

• Workshop/production plans: this stage of the work is relatively little known to the project stakeholders because it is more specifically intended for the production of the elements that will have to be implemented; however, this is an essential step in a facade project because it is what will determine the accuracy of the elements that will have to be installed on the site and which will guarantee the ease and speed of the installation of the elements. of facade. It is clear that the objective will generally be to prefabricate as many elements as possible for two main reasons:

  • It is much easier to achieve high levels of quality in a workshop because the working conditions on site are generally much more complicated (coactivity, bad weather, lack of space, etc.)

  • The higher the level of pre-assembly of the elements to be installed, the faster and easier the installation operations will be.

• ​​The production file will therefore cover each element of the project in an exhaustive manner and will allow the various partners of the facade designer to manufacture them in accordance with what has been defined in terms of type of materials, finish, thickness, form of drilling, cutting, etc.
  For the carpentry part strictly speaking, it will mainly be a question of lists of profile cuts, machining plans and assembly plans.
  We will also take advantage of this stage to define the packaging and develop the types of packaging necessary for transporting the elements.
  In the context of a major project, the timing of the various production sequences must obviously be taken into account in order to guarantee the fluidity of installation operations.

• Installation plans and installation methodology: lhe formalization of this step comes quite late in the drawing process, however, we must take into account from the beginning of the design the realities of the project in order to define the possibilities of installations which will themselves be directly dependent on the schedules of deliveries, the presence or not of a large storage area, the possibility of using external or internal lifting means, the possibility of working from the inside or the outside, etc.
  For these various reasons, the design office, in collaboration with the site manager, will establish an installation methodology in line with the reality of the site.
  For the plans strictly speaking, these are working documents which will be used by the installation teams and the site manager and which will detail very precisely where and how the various elements delivered to the site are installed.

• The As-built folder and the DAO: once the site is nearing completion, an important step is the delivery of an As-built file to the future building managers. It is a global compilation of all the documents which allowed the construction of the project and which should allow in case of repair, adaptation, enlargement, … to work on known bases.
  In the same vein, the DAO (Dossier Adapté à l'Ouvrage) will be used by building managers to have a perfect knowledge of the elements of the facades in order to be able to maintain the facade as it should. The Dao will take up in an exhaustive manner the recommendations and maintenance methodologies, and methods for the possible replacement of damaged elements.

​

​

We obviously do not limit ourselves to the production of a complete file. Depending on the clients needs, we take care of specific parts of these different stages.

We can also intervene in support of developers (architect, real estate) for facade pre-studies which generally corresponds to a “light” design system phase allowing the contours of the facade lot to be precisely defined. This mission generally goes hand in hand with a budget estimate and a technical description and has the ultimate objective of allowing the contracting authority to launch calls for tenders on the basis of a completed technical file and making it possible to facilitate the comparison between the different bidders. These missions are very developed on the French market but unfortunately still remain anecdotal on Luxembourg or Belgium.