‘ZAK World of Facades’ to examine future trends in façade materials

The fourth edition of the ‘Zak World of Façades’ in Dubai, will examine the use of new cladding materials as an alternate replacement to aluminium composite panels.  Over 400 delegates from the regional industry are expected to attend the event which will have on display high performance insulation materials; special cladding materials like Zinc, Terracotta, Ceramic, Acrylic, Porcelain and Sintered Stone; Aluminium and steel curtain wall systems; high performance glass; and non-flammable A2 fire rated aluminium composite materials.

According to Syed Zakir Ahmed, Chairman and Managing Director of ZAK conference, “Sustainable and more efficient materials, will play a major role in building façades in 2018. There is a growing demand for flexible and resistant materials to deal with temperature changes, humidity and dryness; and those with versatility allowing for flexibility in shapes and different finishes. We see an increase in the use of materials like ceramic façade, for example, which is inalterable for long periods and very good in dealing with extreme weather conditions. We look forward to presenting the myriad possibilities in façade materials at our conference, which already has a great line-up of speakers from the industry.” 

On display will be high-performance insulation materials that play a vital role in decreasing u-values. A u-value is a numerical measurement of the amount of heat lost through a specific material. High performance aluminium and steel curtain wall systems that can handle all loads (including dead load, wind load, seismic load, thermal load, blast load etc.) as well as keep air and water from penetrating the building envelope; will also be in the spotlight. 

A new product that will be on showcase is ‘Calostat by Evonik’, a super insulation material with highest performance and fire protection.

Stacy Eisenberg from Ateliers Jean Nouvel (AJN), the architects behind the Louvre Abu Dhabi, is a new speaker on the roster which includes other leading industry names such as Filippo Lodi, Head of Innovation and Knowledge Management, UNStudio; John Kim, Design Director, AE7; Richard Fenne, Principal, Woods Bagot; Mathieu Meur, Director - Technical, DP Architects; Armin Buchbinder, Head of Design, BSBG; Benjamin Beer, Technical Director, Meinhardt Façade Technology; and others.

Stacy will speak about linking operational, functional and creative performance; and AJN’s design philosophy and inspiration.

Technal is the presenting sponsor of the one-day conference on March 20th at Conrad Hotel, Dubai. 

Associate partners include Alupex, Calostat, Calvinetwork, CN Ceramic, Dow Corning, Elval Colour, Future Architectural Glass, Jotun, Kingspan, Kinlong Hardware, Mosa, Neolith, SageGlass, Serge Ferrari, Siderise, Technoform, Trosifol, Vitro and VMZINC.