About Render: Designing and Realising Surfaces reframes render not as a finishing trade but as a primary design medium, tracing its potential across 18 documented buildings and the full arc from material production to facade realisation.
About This Book
Render is among the oldest building envelope materials, yet its design possibilities remain underexplored in contemporary architectural practice. This publication sets out to correct that, documenting 18 buildings through photographs, detailed drawings, and scale facade cuts that reveal how new and traditional plastering techniques can shape a facade at every level — texture, tone, and relief. Expert interviews bridge the gap between architectural intent and craft execution, while the history of rough renders and the relationship between render and paint ground the work in material culture. Ten practical recipes and an illustrated glossary make this as useful at the workbench as at the drawing board. Essential reading for architects and facade designers working with lime, scratch render, and the broader plaster tradition.
Key Features
- 384 pages of photographs, detailed drawings, scale facade cuts, expert interviews, practical recipes, and an illustrated glossary
- Authors: Annette Spiro, Hartmut Gohler, and Pinar Gonul
- 18 documented buildings showcasing new and traditional plastering techniques
- Published by Birkhauser Verlag
What You'll Discover
- How render functions as an active design tool for building facades, beyond its conventional role as a finishing coat
- The history of rough renders and the layered interplay between render and paint across architectural traditions
- First-hand insights from architects and craftspeople on the full process from render production through to on-site application
- Ten material recipes covering specific renders including lime marsh and scratch render, supported by an illustrated glossary for practical reference
About the Author
Annette Spiro is joined by co-authors Hartmut Gohler and Pinar Gonul in producing this study. Beyond their named contributions to this publication, further biographical details are not provided in the source material.
Specifications
- Format: Paperback
- Pages: 384
- Dimensions: 280 x 220 mm
- Language: English
- ISBN: 9783955536176
- Publisher: Birkhauser Verlag
- Publication Date: [Details available upon request]
Perfect For: Architects and facade designers exploring plaster and render as a design medium, craftspeople and technical practitioners working with traditional and contemporary plastering techniques, and architecture students seeking a material-focused, documentation-rich reference.