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Facade Engineering.

The envelope is more than a façade – it is the living interface between inside and out. We design high-performance, low-carbon, beautifully crafted skins that define architectural character, drive environmental performance, and ensure buildings remain resilient for decades to come.

The skin that goes deep.

A building envelope must do far more than look extraordinary. It moderates climate, delivers comfort, protects against weather, shapes daylight, and supports the life of the city. Our designers combine architecture, building physics, materials science and structural understanding to design responsive, durable, and elegant systems.

Thermal/condensation analysis diagram of the cruciform columns of Chancery Rosewood

Collaboration at the core.

Envelope design is inherently interdisciplinary. At AKT II, envelope specialists work alongside architects, mechanical engineers, computational designers, structural engineers, sustainability experts, and material technologists to resolve complexity through elegant logic. Our integrated design process ensures performance, buildability, cost, and aesthetics move forward together.

Holistic performance meets crafted detail.

We provide complete envelope services across all project stages — from concept to construction.
Key areas of expertise:

Design-led façade engineering (standard + bespoke systems)
Building physics & environmental performance (thermal, hygrothermal, daylight, glare, comfort)
Materials expertise (glass, aluminium, stone, terracotta, brickwork, timber, UHPC, GRC)
Advanced geometry & parametric optimisation
Sustainability & circularity strategy
Retrofit & adaptive reuse
Buildability and procurement strategy
Structural façade design & complex interface resolution

EDGE London Bridge: Terracotta mock-up

Materials selection: Stone quarry

Designing envelopes for a low-carbon world.

Buildings contribute 39% of global carbon emissions – and the envelope plays a decisive role in reducing both operational and embodied carbon. Our approach prioritises:

Low-carbon material selection
Circular economy principles
Repurpose-first retrofit strategies
High-performance façades that reduce mechanical loads
Durability and resilience in a changing climate

Ghana National Cathedral: Sustainable timber sourcing

The Chancery Rosewood: Retention of the historic Eero Saarinen-designed facade.

Designed for construction as well as imagination.

Buildability is integral to our process. We rigorously test options, carry out detailed assembly studies, engage with specialist contractors, and guide procurement to achieve quality, certainty, and value. Our experience spans complex large-scale façades, precision stonework, adaptive retrofit, and advanced prefabrication.

Where computation meets craft.

From form-finding and parametric optimisation to bioclimatic modelling, our computational research team (p.art) and in-house tools such as Re.AKT empower design excellence. These systems allow iterative evaluation of environmental comfort, structural performance, geometry rationalisation, and material efficiency – all in real time.