Utrecht, 18 March 2025 – At Future Facade 2025, MaterialDistrict will showcase the exclusive material exhibition ‘Fascinating Facades’, highlighting the latest innovations in facade architecture and building envelopes. Featuring over 100 advanced material samples and four large exhibition items, the showcase demonstrates how innovation and material use go hand in hand in shaping the facades of the future.
On 7 and 8 May 2025, the first edition of Future Facade will take place at the Royal Jaarbeurs in Utrecht. This new trade event focuses on the future of facades and building envelopes, with a strong emphasis on innovation, circularity, and sustainable solutions.
Making innovation tangible: materials and mock-ups
The ‘Fascinating Facades’ exhibition offers visitors the opportunity to explore innovative materials up close, as well as experience four large-scale mock-ups that demonstrate the practical application of these materials. The four selected exhibition items are:
- Soltint & PowerGraphic (SOL-R&D) – Integrated BIPV solar technology for facades, featuring customizable colors and patterns, merging aesthetics with energy generation.
- Rethinking Life Cycles (Cooloo) – Circular facade and interior finishing made from recycled urban mining materials, focusing on reuse and longevity.
- Hempcrete Façade Element (Studio Dørff) – Bio-based hemp concrete facade panels that contribute to biodiversity with integrated nesting spaces and green zones.
- Defining a New Aesthetic (Nudus) – Innovative facade cladding made from repurposed roof tiles, developed with a focus on sustainability, CO₂ reduction, and a lifespan of over 50 years.
These mock-ups provide a tangible and realistic insight into how new materials can directly contribute to innovative and future-proof facade solutions.
The future of facade architecture
Facade architecture faces major challenges. Climate change, energy performance, and circularity require architects and designers to develop new, innovative solutions. Facades are no longer just the visual identity of a building; they play a crucial role in energy efficiency, ventilation, acoustic comfort, and material reusability. MaterialDistrict brings these challenges together in an inspiring exhibition, allowing visitors to discover innovative materials that contribute to sustainable, adaptive, and circular facade designs.
Jeroen van Oostveen, Managing Director and owner of MaterialDistrict, emphasizes the importance of material innovation in facade architecture:
“Facades form the envelope of our built environment and play a key role in both aesthetics and functionality. The ‘Fascinating Facades’ exhibition offers an inspiring look at the future of facades and how new materials can contribute to energy efficiency, sustainability, and aesthetic diversity.”
According to Tom van der Zwaag, organizer of Future Facade 2025 on behalf of Jaarbeurs, the collaboration with MaterialDistrict is a valuable addition:
“The facade sector is undergoing a transition, driven by stricter regulations and the growing demand for circular and sustainable construction methods. With ‘Fascinating Facades’, we offer Future Facade visitors direct access to the latest material innovations, enabling them to strengthen and future-proof their projects.”
Future Facade 2025: the international platform for facade innovation
Future Facade 2025 brings together the international facade industry at the Royal Jaarbeurs, featuring a comprehensive program of keynotes, panel discussions, and innovations from leading companies and research institutions. The ‘Fascinating Facades’ exhibition is one of the highlights of the event and is free to visit with the discount code Materials.
Jaarbeurs and the construction & installation sector
Jaarbeurs is the central hub for the Construction & Installation sector and has been organizing leading trade fairs such as BouwBeurs and VSK for years. In 2024, they introduced DigiBouw, and on 7 and 8 May 2025, the first edition of Future Facade will take place. Additionally, in June 2026, the new annual European Smart City Expo (ESCE) will be launched.
Jaarbeurs also hosts numerous guest events for the construction and installation sector each year and launched the Construction & Installation Hub in 2023—an online content platform focused on collaboration, knowledge sharing, and sustainable growth.
