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Playground · Facade & Specialist

Facade Optimiser

Drive a freeform facade from a handful of wave parameters, then rationalise it for fabrication: choose a strategy and watch the panels planarise, cold-warp or triangulate into flat, single and double-curved families, with the deviation from design intent, mould count, sub-frame and slab-edge details, and an indicative order pack all resolving live, the same DfMA study we run with facade contractors.

Published

What this demonstrates

Computational facade rationalisation, planarisation and sub-frame automation. The DfMA trade-off study we run for facade contractors, exposed live so buildability, mould count, deviation from intent and cost move with every geometry change.

14.0 × 12.0 m · 96 panelsPlanarise (PQ) · 65% flatdeviation 45 mm max20 moulds · 21 types

Panel rationalisation

Planarity vs curvature, under the planarise (pq) strategy

Flat

62 · 65%

118 m² · $107,867

$912/m² supply

Single-curved

5 · 5%

10 m² · $13,076

$1,332/m² supply

Double-curved

29 · 30%

53 m² · $119,142

$2,262/m² supply

Unique type families

21

from 96 panels

Curved moulds

20

3 single · 17 double

Mould re-use

1.7×

$166,900 tooling

Deviation from intent

45 mm

mean 29 mm

Mullions (vertical)

13 runs

159.5 m

Transoms (horizontal)

9 runs

133.0 m

Facet error (max)

54 mm

196 members to bend

Beyond bend limit

70

min R 3.2 m vs 6 m

Glazing · DGU low-e181 m² · $61,459
Indicative supply total$507,880

Factory-built storey-tall units, split-mullion stack joint at every slab. Flat vision glass can be cold-warped in the frame; single curves are cold-bent, double curves need hot-bent glass and dedicated tooling.

Buildability flags. 29 double-curved panels (52.7 m²) need moulds. 70 frame members bend tighter than the 6 m cold-form limit.

Rationalise the surface, or ease the geometry: planarise to flat quads, triangulate the curved zones, densify the grid to cut faceting, or reduce the wave amplitude (currently 1150 mm).

Auto-generated drawings

D1·1F1·2F1·3D1·4D1·5F1·6F1·7F1·8D2·1F2·2F2·3D2·4D2·5F2·6F2·7F2·8F3·1F3·2F3·3D3·4D3·5F3·6F3·7F3·8F4·1F4·2F4·3D4·4D4·5F4·6F4·7F4·8F5·1F5·2F5·3S5·4S5·5F5·6F5·7F5·8F6·1F6·2F6·3D6·4D6·5F6·6F6·7F6·8F7·1F7·2F7·3D7·4D7·5F7·6F7·7D7·8F8·1F8·2F8·3D8·4D8·5F8·6F8·7D8·8F9·1F9·2F9·3S9·4S9·5F9·6F9·7S9·8F10·1F10·2F10·3D10·4D10·5F10·6F10·7D10·8F11·1F11·2D11·3D11·4D11·5F11·6F11·7D11·8F12·1F12·2D12·3D12·4F12·5F12·6D12·7D12·8slabslabslabslabslab14.0 m12.0 mbay 1.17 mlift 1.50 m
FlatSingle-curved / cold-formedDouble-curved / mouldedTriangulatedMullion / transom

Where this data comes from

Illustrative pipeline for a production deployment

Design surface (Rhino / Grasshopper)

Architect's freeform facade geometry (NURBS)

Panel + framing system master

Cassette sizes, mullion profiles, bend limits, mould rates

Structural interface (Revit / IFC)

Slab edges and bracket anchor points

Rationalisation (Grasshopper + Rhino.Inside.Revit)

  1. 1Panelise the surface to the framing grid
  2. 2Measure planarity and principal curvature per panel
  3. 3Apply the chosen strategy: planarise, cold-warp or triangulate
  4. 4Group panels into type families and count moulds
  5. 5Analyse member faceting and bend radius vs the profile limit
  6. 6Emit panel families, setting-out, details and CNC files

Output

Fabrication-ready facade pack

Elevation, mullion and slab-edge details, panel schedule with type families and mould count, bend analysis, glazing take-off and indicative pricing

Relax the panel nodes toward planar quads within a deviation budget from the design surface. Flat-panel yield rises as you allow more deviation; an arbitrary freeform cannot be fully planarised on a regular grid without drifting off intent, so this is a real trade, not a free win.

14.0 m
4 levels · 12 m
1150 mm
1.4
0.9
12
8
12 mm
45 mm max

Champagne anodised · +$32/m²

1 · spandrel + vision
none

Sub-framing sits inside every unit between the primary storey-tall mullions and slab-edge transoms, subdividing the panel into spandrel, vision and optional vent zones.

6.0 m min R
Facade area181 m²
Flat / buildable65%
Type families21
Curved moulds20
Sub-frame total411 m
Indicative supply$507,880

A3 pack: rationalised elevation, mullion and slab-edge details, panel schedule with type families and mould count, bend analysis and indicative pricing.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

How these demos relate to the systems we build for clients.

What does this facade tool actually rationalise?

It takes a freeform surface and, under a chosen strategy, makes it buildable. Every quad is tested for planarity (the distance between its diagonals) and every panel is classified against the surface's principal curvatures as flat, single or double curved. Planarise relaxes the mesh to planar quads; cold-warp accepts flat glass warped in the frame; triangulate splits panels so glass is always flat. The elevation, schedule, mould count and pricing all update live.

How is single-curved told apart from double-curved?

By the principal curvatures of the design surface at each panel. If one principal curvature is effectively zero the panel is developable and can be cold-bent or rolled from flat sheet, so it is single-curved. If both are non-zero it is genuinely double-curved and needs a mould or must be triangulated. The sign of the Gaussian curvature also separates dome-like synclastic from saddle-like anticlastic panels.

Why does the mould count matter more than area?

For cast and pressed systems the budget is driven by the number of unique tools, not the square metres. Two identical curved panels share one mould. The tool groups panels into fabrication type families and prices the tooling on the unique curved families, so relaxing geometry to re-use moulds shows up directly in the total, the same trade study we run with precast and GRC fabricators.

How does it handle the sub-frame and slab edge?

Mullions run slab to slab and follow the surface between floors while staying straight; transoms sit on the bay lines; slab-edge brackets carry the frame back to each floor plate. The frame sets out to the primary design geometry and the planarisation deviation is taken up in the panel setting-out shims. A bend analysis flags any member whose faceting error is too large and checks the required bend radius against the profile's cold-form limit.

Can this generate a real fabrication pack?

The PDF export includes a rationalised elevation, a mullion plan detail, a slab-edge stack-joint section, a panel schedule with type families and mould count, the sub-frame bend analysis and indicative pricing. In production the same parametric model emits per-panel setting-out, unfolded flat patterns, cut lists and CNC files.

Want this for your products?

Everything in the Playground is built with the same stack we deploy for clients: configurators driven by real product masters, planners connected to BIM data, and AR experiences served straight from the product catalogue.

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