Fulvio Serra, Head of the new Building Envelopes & Skin Components in ABET, on the latest developments in façades in architecture.
The world of façades in architecture can be divided between a before and an “after” MEG, the ABET material that, since the 80s, led the Italian brand to have a key role in the creation of ventilated facades all over the world. Solid, compact and long-lasting, MEG is specifically designed for outdoor applications. It is resistant to natural weathering (sunlight and atmospheric agents) providing technical performances that make it suitable to the building sector, where it represents an excellent alternative to traditional materials.
MEG and ABET began their journey in the wall cladding sector in the 1980s, bringing further innovation in a sector where innovations chase each other and the demand for quality design is increasingly high.
The latest news is the birth of Building Envelopes & Skin Components, a Unit dedicated to the creation of innovative solutions for architecture, under the direction of Dr. Fulvio Serra, an internationally acclaimed designer of architectural structures. “The new ABET Building Envelopes & Skin Components Unit represents the natural evolution of the activity linked to MEG“, explains Serra.
Fulvio Serra, why is the world of facades so strategic today?
“The demand for design in the construction sector has become very high. Previously people simply asked for facades, today everyone want complex building envelopes. In this complexity, architects and designers look for design solutions that need to be tested, advanced and easily available on the market. The bet is therefore on one hand to do research and to experiment, and on the other – and it is ABET’s great ambition – to make available to designers all the elements needed to carry out the project in the desired and expected times “.
How will the world of architectural envelopes change?
“We are witnessing a conceptual rethinking of architecture. It is now clear that outdoor HPL panels, as we know them today, will no longer be able to support the current evolution of the architecture and building market. The new parameters have to be based on community needs, on the speed of decision making with regard to buildings, on the environmental impact and on the safety parameters of society. Today’s technological developments require simplification while maintaining complexity, and companies are expected to guarantee products that are increasingly advanced in performance and high quality yet are designed for the widest possible use.
What will the unit do?
Firstly, we will manage the design of complete building envelope systems, including the management of all panels size cut, the design, engineering and their reference to metal structures and insulating products. Then we will take care of the development of new high-performance products for construction, suitable for coating and covering buildings also in structural function; not necessarily based on laminate only. Unlimited Selection is not a slogan, but the ambitious arrival point of a company – ABET – that has the knowledge, the technical and human background and the history to become an undisputed world leader in the production of basic and advanced components for construction systems.
ABET has always been able to look far and even today, in an extremely difficult moment, propose itself in advance in the aware part of the main actor, creating this new Unit that I have the honor of heading.
