The mechanical behavior of the metal sheet facades

Abstract

[EN]Building construction is an ancient human activity. Human shelters were at first very simple and, perhaps, lasted only a few days or months. Over time, however, they began more durable and then spreaded, appearing the first city. The present state of building construction is complex, compared to what Romans and Egyptians had built. During a building’s service life, costs can occur at three stages: design, construction and use and maintenance, where 75–80% of costs occur during the use and maintenance stage. Many architects and scientists are nowadays devoted to the optimization of new building components. Metal, however has been an important material for the last decade and the concept of metal sheet facades has played a fundamental role on the building’s performance, being a complex system to design, build and maintain.