Technology Meets Nature: A New Material Order
PBFD 2025 launches with a thematic focus on Technology Meets Nature, a bold exploration of organic and innovative materials in façade systems. Presentations will highlight the integration of timber, pressed terracotta, stainless steel, and biobased glass composites into performative façades. Visionary keynote speakers include Michele Pasca di Magliano (Zaha Hadid Architects) and Agnes Koltay (Koltay Facades), whose work pushes the limits of material expression and thermal performance.

Glass: The Transparent Vanguard of Sustainability
The glass industry finds a central platform at PBFD. With leaders like Joan Tarrus (Sedak) and Ingo Stelzer (Kuraray) taking the stage, thin-glass technology, laminated safety innovations, and energy-active glazing will be critically examined. Their presence underscores the glass sector’s evolution, from passive envelope component to active climate mediator and aesthetic protagonist.

Debates That Shape Cities
Day two, moderated by Mikkel K. Kragh (Aarhus University), explores façades as engines of circularity. Discussions span adaptive reuse strategies by Eckersley O’Callaghan and predictive glass maintenance from Priedemann Façade Specialists. The day ends with Thomas Winterstetter (Werner Sobek) spotlighting high-tech glass façades that grow with the cities they envelope.

Heritage Meets High-Tech
The grand finale unfolds at Palazzo Nani Bernardo, fusing Venetian heritage with future-forward thinking. Exclusive site visits, including a behind-the-scenes tour of the Simeon glass-and-steel fabrication facility and the architecturally rich De Stefani winery, perfectly conclude this immersive event. PBFD 2025 isn’t just a conference, it’s where the future of façade design is written, in glass and beyond.

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Glass-Fibre Reinforced Concrete Meets Insulated Glazing

At BEEAH HQ, the building combines glass-fibre-reinforced concrete (GRC) panels and insulated glazing to regulate solar gain and boost thermal mass. These GRC panels, approximately 4,000 units weighing around 100 kg each, cloak the structure while reducing reliance on glazed surfaces. For Khalid bin Sultan City, a similar hybrid approach is anticipated: glazed elements integrated within GRC or fibreglass-reinforced polyester (FRP) framing, balancing aesthetics and performance.

Passive Cooling via Slab and Glass Systems

BEEAH employs cooling delivered through concrete slabs beneath glass, coupled with exterior slab-cooling to regulate interior temperatures. This glass-adjacent cooling minimizes internal heat load. As a district-scale application, similar slab-cooling and chilled-beam systems behind glazed façades may be used in public pavilions, promoting energy-efficient comfort across shared streetscapes.

Learning to Scale: District-Wide Smart Glass

The HQ features smart glass, smart meeting rooms, and automated lighting and temperature systems based on occupancy. Khalid bin Sultan City’s multi-centred network, covered walkways and vibrant streets, will likely employ electrochromic glass or dynamic shading to modulate light, heat gain, and glare at scale.

Building on the proven glass-façade strategies at BEEAH’s headquarters, combining insulated glazing, GRC cladding, slab-cooling systems, and smart glass, ZHA’s design for Khalid bin Sultan City promises an integrated, performance-driven approach.

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