Farrells attended ZAK World of Facades 2023 in Hong Kong

 

On July 20th, Farrells was honoured to attend the ZAK World of Facades 2023 event in Hong Kong. During our participation, we are pleased to contribute our insightful ideas to two sessions focused on architectural facade design and construction.

 

 

Our Director, Stefan Krummeck, was the speaker for the first presentation, which was titled “Uncovering the Connected Narratives of Hong Kong’s Facades.” Using Hong Kong as an example, Stefan explained how facades reflect cultural values and transform over time, while also being related to society. He pointed out that facades embody and reflect dualities, serving both functional and perceptual roles while linking external expression to internal experience. The M+ Museum of Visual Culture is located in West Kowloon, an area where Farrells has been heavily involved in planning over the decades. Stefan used M+ as an example to show how the design of building exteriors can be influenced by societal and cultural context and how they interact with their surroundings. He also discussed how retrofitting the facades of buildings, such as the HK Science Museum and HK Museum of History Expansion, can revitalize not only the building but the entire district.

 

 

During a conversation about Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) 3S, which stands for Smart, Safe, and Sustainability, Farrells’ Project Director, Patrick Yue, discussed how digital tools and technologies can enhance building systems interface, productivity, off-site fabrication, and safety during construction. DfMA and MiC (Modular Integrated Construction) are not new concepts, but there is a debate about the extent and level of commitment needed to replace conventional methods with DfMA and MiC. There is still ample opportunity for all the stakeholders in the industry to come together, converse and work collaboratively towards achieving the 3S objective.

 

 

Zak World of Façades is an international conference series on façade design and engineering. The event has attracted over 30,000 delegates across its 120+ completed editions as of date. It is designed as a one-day conference and is currently being organised in over 35 countries.