Facade Today is proud to partner with the 4th edition of Performance Based Facade Design in Venice. PBFD 2026 offers a dedicated stage to share research, showcase complex projects, and confront real-world performance challenges. Therefore, professionals working on durability, serviceability, testing, monitoring, or refurbishment are invited to submit proposals as speakers. Moreover, abstracts can be submitted until April 5th, and selected contributions will be presented on stage at PBFD 2026.
https://www.performancebasedfacadedesign.org/
This year’s edition is built around a theme of growing urgency: Durable Façades. Indeed, durability is no longer a marginal topic. Today, it sits at the intersection of carbon, cost, climate risk, and user comfort. PBFD 2026 positions façade durability as a strategic design driver, not a late-stage constraint.
Seminar and Workshop on Durable Façades
The event opens with the Seminar on Durable Façades, covering the full lifecycle of envelopes: from early design and detailing to testing, monitoring, maintenance, and refurbishment. Speakers will address how glass, metals, membranes, sealants, and composites behave over time. In this context, engineering detailing will receive particular attention, especially at interfaces and joints. The seminar will also examine policy and regulatory incentives.
PBFD 2026 further strengthens its technical depth with the Workshop on Façade Serviceability: Failures and Lessons Learned.
This workshop offers a hands-on, case-driven forum covering defects and failures, diagnostic methods, testing protocols, and remediation strategies. These strategies help turning problems into improved specifications, better detailing, and more effective asset management. Finally, contributors to the workshop will be invited to develop full technical papers for an ASTM STP publication, reinforcing the scientific and professional impact of their contribution.
The Seminar on Durable Façades is co‑chaired by Mikkel K. Kragh (Arup), and the Workshop on Façade Serviceability by Daniel J. Lemieux (WJE). Together, this ensures a strong link between research, design practice, and building ownership.
Keynotes Linking Durability and Leadership
The program is built around three keynote contributions that connect durability to leadership and accountability:
Silvia Prandelli, Senior Principal at Populous, will deliver the opening keynote. She will bring the perspective of large-scale project delivery, where performance, longevity, and user experience must all align. Her talk will highlight how durable façades support complex venues and high-intensity uses over decades.
Within the Durable Façades Seminar, Astrid Piber, Partner at UNStudio, will also keynote. There, she will present an integrated viewpoint on façade strategy, architectural ambition, and resilience. In particular, her contribution will address how to maintain design excellence while delivering maintainable, robust envelopes at the highest level of execution.
Bridging the seminar into the workshop, PBFD 2026 will feature a keynote by Andrei Koshelev, AIA SIA, titled Durable Façade: A Client Perspective. At ETH Zurich, Andrei supports the delivery and long-term stewardship of an extensive building portfolio. His keynote will highlight client expectations, risk management, and the realities of operating and maintaining façades over time.
Ready to speak at PBFD 2026?
Submit your abstract by April 5th.
Submissions will be reviewed by the PBFD Advisory Group. Selected authors and organizers will be invited to present their work during the event in Venice.
Facade Today is Media Partner of Performance-Based Facade Design 2026.
As part of this partnership, Facade Today supports the event with editorial coverage, digital visibility, and content amplification. Through this, we are helping ideas travel further across the facade engineering and architecture community.
Are you organizing an event related to façade design, smart materials, sustainable construction, or architectural innovation?
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As the Editor of FacadeToday.com, I merge my passion for Design, Architecture and Technologies with three decade of experience collaborating with entrepreneurs across many industries. My career has centered on fostering innovation, scaling business opportunities, and bridging gaps between technical experts, business developers, and creative visionaries. I thrive at the intersection of sustainable solutions, material advancements, and smart technologies, curating insights on themes like energy-efficient facades, smart tech, and advanced manufacturing. With a commitment to lifelong learning, I aim to empower architects and facade engineers by translating innovations into actionable knowledge, driving the industry forward through purposeful connectivity and cutting-edge practices.
