Engineering the Envelope: Structural Load Assessment for Façades
Registration will open soon. Join the Facade Intelligence Professional Membership (FI PRO) to receive priority access to this seminar.
About This CPD
Before anything can be sized, the loads must be known. This course provides architects and building design professionals with practical knowledge of structural load assessment for façade systems – covering self-weight, imposed loads, wind pressure and suction, seismic actions where applicable, impact loads, and the load combinations required by relevant structural design codes.
You’ll learn to trace the load path from the outermost cladding component through brackets, rails, and fixings into the primary structure. The course explains how to determine characteristic and design values, apply partial safety factors, and understand the difference between serviceability and ultimate limit state checks as they apply to façade elements.
Presented by Eugene Korch (façade engineer and IAST Programme Director), the course uses real façade load schedules and structural calculation extracts to show how loads are tabulated, combined, and communicated between the façade designer and the structural engineer.
Through load diagrams, calculation templates, and project examples, this course helps you read and review structural calculations with confidence – and understand where design responsibilities lie between architect, structural engineer, and façade subcontractor.
Join the Façade Intelligence Professional Membership (FI PRO) to access a comprehensive library of seminar recordings, a wide range of short courses developed by the Institute for Architectural Science and Technology (IAST), and regular case study releases.
We guarantee our members a minimum of 24 hours of structured, high-quality CPD content each year, allowing professionals to continuously develop their expertise in façade design and engineering.
FI PRO Membership provides individuals and teams with the flexibility to explore a wide variety of specialist courses without any additional course fees.
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All technical CPD courses developed by the Institute for Architectural Science and Technology are free from advertising and commercial bias and are designed to promote best practices in façade design and engineering.
By joining FI PRO, you not only provide your team with engaging, relevant professional development opportunities, but also help support the continued development of the Façade Intelligence Knowledge Platform, contributing to higher standards of professional education across the construction industry.