BRIEF OVERVIEW OF CLIMATE RESPONSIVE FACADES & ITS KINETIC APPLICATIONS

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Assistant lecturer,Architecture Dep., Faculty of Engineering-Mattaria, Helwan University

2 Lecturer Architecture Dep., Faculty of Engineering-Mattaria, Helwan University

Abstract

Facade systems have recently been transformed from simple passive elements to
more advanced and complex active systems that are able to act in an adaptive manner
and in response to the surrounding environment through changing buildings facades
behaviour, in terms of spatial configurations or characteristics of its external skin.
R
esponsive facades can improve building’s energy efficiency through improving
buildings energy savings by their capability to change their behaviour and/or
characteristics through exploiting stimulus-responsive materials and intelligent
control systems that can make a significant and valuable contribution to the success of
the buildings system as a whole.
This paper intends to display a brief overview of the existing different climate
responsive facades strategies through displaying a number of different environmental
responsive facades behaviours as well as goals that can be achieved by the
applications of such responsive facades. Based on the analysis of the illustrated case
studies considered in this paper, responsive behaviour of kinetic facades is
categorized under two main categories in response to two main types of stimuli that
usually buildings are subjected to which are solar radiation
and natural air current.
Each one of these types is categorized into other sub categories which vary according
to a number of different factors such as the design strategy, desired function or
applied technology. the applications of kinetic solar responsive facades in this
research is divided into three main types, which are responding through architectonic
building movement, transformable shading systems and integrated kinetic shading
systems with PV cells. While natural air current and wind driven kinetic responsive
facades are divided in to two main types, which are air current responsive facades and
integrated air current responsive facades with wind energy collectors.
Adaptive architecture generally and responsive facades strategies specifically with
its wide range of applications is considered as an emergent and significant research
topic, based on its capability of reducing buildings energy consumption rates
drastically as well as improving the indoor living environments.

Keywords

Engineering Research Journal
Volume 171, Issue 0
September 2021
Pages 16-34

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