"Facades Education in the United States: Current State and Recommendations for Improvements" presents the results of a research study, outlining the state of facades education at higher-education institutions across the United States. The objective was to identify coursework focusing on facades (or enclosure systems) and analyze how these courses relate to the overall curricula, educational objectives, and teaching methods at various universities. The study began by identifying universities that offer facade-related courses, and by administering a survey. The survey asked participants to identify facade-related courses in their institutions, provide the course names and numbers, and indicate the course level, course format, and the relation of the course to the overall curriculum. Subsequently, syllabi were requested from instructors for each of the identified courses. Of the 70 originally identified courses among both the U.S. and Canadian higher-education institutions, detailed information and course syllabi were collected for 36 courses offered by U.S. programs that represent 22 higher education institutions and 23 NAAB accredited programs.

The next step of the research study involved quantitative and qualitative analysis of the submitted syllabi. The collected information was classified into different categories, including geographic regions, program type, course format, whether the courses are offered as part of a professional program, identification of topics that are covered in various classes, learning outcomes, and course assessment methods. The study found that facades have been increasingly integrated into building technology lecture courses and integrated design studios, but that standalone courses with primary focus on facade-related topics remain few and are primarily offered as elective and graduate level courses. This paper provides detailed results of the study and offers recommendations on how the breadth and depth of facade course offerings in the U.S. can be expanded and improved.

Citation:

Aksamija, A., Milosevic, S, Brainard, G., and Brown, T., (2024). “Facades Education in the United States: Current State and Recommendations for Improvements”, Proceedings of the Facade World Congress 2024, Salt Lake City, UT, October 8-10.