181st Edition – Zak World of Façades United Kingdom

Main Events 181st Edition – Zak World of Façades United Kingdom

181st Edition – Zak World of Façades United Kingdom

edition

181

Date

07 May 2025

Venue

The Eastside Rooms

City

Birmingham

Official page Watch the Event

About this edition

This will be the 181st edition globally and the 2nd edition in Birmingham which will showcase sustainable innovations and challenges in the construction industry pertaining to the building envelope and will also display latest technological solutions.

Speakers & Panelists

Conference Agenda

Every speaker for the day, grouped by session. Select a topic to see who is presenting, the session focus and the talk points.

Session 1

Session 2

Session 3

Session 4

08:00 — 08:50

Topic

Delegate Registration & Networking

Aneel Kilaire

Associate Façade Consultant

Ramboll

Topic

Event Convenor & Host

08:50 — 09:00

Topic

Welcome Address

09:00 — 09:30

James Watts

Director

Arup

Ross Fittall

Commercial Director

MEPC

Topic

Birmingham Market State of Play: Trends and Challenges

Talk points

Current projects, challenges, and opportunities

Short term plans and key focus

Five-year vision and future strategies

09:30 — 09:50

Alan McCartney

Partner

Howells

Topic

Ideas In Place

Talk points

Material

Detail

Making

09:50 — 10:05

Marc Blackie

Business Development Manager

A Proctor Group

Topic

Condensation and Airtight Solutions for Façades

Talk points

The problem

The theory

The solution

10:05 — 10:20

Andrew Pries

Director of Innovation & Technical Sales

Boston Valley Terra Cotta

Topic

Innovating the Architectural Terra Cotta Industry for Sustainable, High-Performance Façades

Talk points

Addressing global issues in the built environment and realizing the potential of terra cotta solutions

Materiality and performance benefits of terra cotta façades in modern architecture

Terra cotta façade innovations that address global challenges and enhance building performance

10:20 — 10:25

Topic

Introduction to the Society of Façade Engineering (SFE) Birmingham Chapter

10:25 — 10:55

Topic

Networking Tea / Coffee Break

10:55 — 11:15

Gurprit Bassi

Director

Wintech

Topic

Façade Retrofitting for Net Zero Buildings

Talk points

Understanding the context of a fabric first approach

Retrofitting is a risky business! How do we reduce the risks?

Case studies

11:15 — 11:30

Eric Claeys

Founding Partner

Fassada Steel

Topic

Hybrid Steel Curtain Walls

Talk points

Are hybrid steel curtain walls the long-waited disruption in the market?

Fire resistance, tower infernos belong to the past

Drastic reduction of CO2 emission

Redefined sustainability: Not just 0 energy, but also 0 finance cost!

11:30 — 12:00

James Hind

Partner

SimpsonHaugh

Topic

Form | Colour | Texture

Talk points

Explorations in high-rise residential façades

12:00 — 12:45

Panelist

David Brooks

Studio Lead

Bond Bryan

Panelist

Mohammed Habboub

Data Science Lead

Ramboll

Topic

The Integration of AI in Façade Design: Balancing Innovation with Ethical and Practical Considerations

Talk points

The ability of AI to create highly customized and energy-efficient façade solutions with enhanced efficiency and precision

Technical challenges: Data dependency and integration with existing workflows

The risk of biases in AI algorithms influencing design decisions and the diminishing role of human intuition and creativity

The potential impact of AI on employment and in shaping the future of education

Session summary

Aneel Kilaire

12:45 — 13:40

Topic

Networking Lunch Break

13:40 — 14:05

Adam Graham

Associate Director

Broadway Malyan

Topic

Beorma Tower: Imprinting on Urban Memory

Talk points

History and context

Collaboration

Facing the future

14:05 — 14:25

Paul Chatwin

Associate Director | Sustainability Leader

Cundall

Topic

Façades and Certification Considerations

Talk points

Façades can have a significant influence on certifications

Impact on façade performance

Case Studies: How certification schemes may be impacted and how clients' sustainability objectives are influenced

14:25 — 14:40

Ian Wilson

Group Chairman

Benx

Topic

Addressing the Challenges of Rainscreen Specification

Talk points

The challenges

The solution

The benefits

14:40 — 14:55

Ashley Phillips

Senior Technical Specialist

DuPont

Topic

Fire System Innovation: Setting New Performance Benchmarks

Talk points

Meeting multiple and future needs

Increasing importance of fire regulations

Introducing our fire-retardant portfolio

14:55 — 15:10

Stuart Whiting

Façade Consultant

Fixfast

Topic

Rainscreen Remediation – Protecting Thermal Performance

Talk points

Rainscreen remediation performance requirements

Calculating rainscreen system performance

Project thermal performance checklist

15:10 — 15:25

Tansu Kumru

Vice President

Turkish Glass

Topic

Every Project Has Its Own Unique Story

Talk points

Project management approach with a powerful and extensive ecosystem

Adding value to the human life with unique projects

Contributing to the future of our planet with sustainable products and technologies

15:25 — 15:55

Topic

Networking Tea / Coffee Break

15:55 — 16:15

Clive Everett

Technical Claims Surveying Manager

NHBC

Topic

Façades Under the Spotlight

Talk points

Where are we, and how have we arrived here?

Rebalancing the insurance market

Future world and implications to the façade industry

16:15 — 17:00

Moderator

Iain Gray

Director - Façades

BB7

Panelist

Andrew Richards

Senior Architect

Weedon Architects

Panelist

Ange Francis

Head of Façades

John Sisk & Son

Panelist

Bartolomé Varela

Director - UK

Inasus

Panelist

Mark Pniewski

Director

Thorp Precast

Topic

Driving Regeneration Between Birmingham’s Beating Hearts – A Case Study of Great Charles Street

Talk points

Exploring the challenges of a complex build of 3No unique projects with different material palettes

Understanding the transition from pre to post planning to late stage development

High wind load effects on façade types, materiality and construction

Understanding the effect of legislative changes on the design

Session summary

Iain Gray

17:00 — 17:10

Topic

Vote of Thanks & End of the Conference

How it was

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Chapters

Partners

Associate Partners

Agenda Partner