Facade Engineer
As a facade engineer you design the facades of new buildings and work with existing buildings to pick up on problems that may affect durability. This could include cracked glass panes, movement within structural elements or worn seals.
What the job looks like
Salary expectation
starts at $60,000 up to $130,000+
The good
- Variety of different projects
- Every job is different with new challenges and new solutions to look at
- Working with bright and creative people
- Solving problems
- Coming up with innovative and environmentally friendly designs
- Potential to work overseas
- Occasionally working on iconic buildings
The not so good
- Meeting deadlines can be stressful
Each building you work on as a façade engineer brings a new challenge and each project is different. You might find yourself on multistory luxury hotels, iconic structures like the Sydney Opera House or small office buildings. You need to be comfortable with heights and fairly athletic to be a façade engineer as a lot of the time is spent abseiling in a harness to assess building structures.
Façade engineers have the opportunity to come up with ways to make buildings more environmentally sustainable and innovative. If you are creative and enjoy problem solving then a career as a façade engineer might be for you.
Understanding mathematics is important to be a façade engineer. The job relies on equations and formulas to make sure structures are stable and come up with designs around the limitations of physics (force, gravity, light).
Computer modelling is also used to test the structure of a design so computer skills would be an advantage.
Good English skills will help to read through project briefs. These might be large documents that state issues or certain specifications to include in a structure’s design. Writing reports is also part of the job so your spelling and grammar will need to be accurate.
Every job we do is completely different to the last, always new challenges.
Pathways to this career
Subject suggestions for the HSC
Choosing your HSC subjects from this list could really help with your career. Think carefully about what you want to study after school as you might need to choose specific HSC subjects for that course and to count towards your ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admission Rank). An ATAR is your academic rank in relation to other HSC students and helps with University admission.
HSC subjects
Some subjects will count towards your ATAR, others will not. Check with your career advisor before making subject selections.
- English (Standard or higher)
- Mathematics (2 unit or higher)
- Physics
- Information Processes and Technology
- Engineering Studies
What can I do after I have finished school?
University degrees
Studying one of these degrees can help with your career.
- Bachelor of Facade Engineering or equivalent
- Bachelor of Engineering
Suggestions
Check out Facade engineering at CSIRO and Engineers Australia for more information
- Try rock climbing or abseiling and see if you are comfortable working with vertical surfaces
- Subscribe to engineering e-newsletters to keep up to date with the industry and make some contacts
- Contact any local engineering companies and see if you can do work experience with them
- Have a look at some existing facades and come up with some design ideas of your own
- Go to career expos and events like university Open Days for information about what you will study
