Journal of Facade Design and Engineering - Volume 3, issue 2

Article Type: Editorial

DOI: 10.3233/FDE-150041

Citation: Journal of Facade Design and Engineering, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 103-103, 2015

Authors: Favoino, Fabio

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: The growing demand for both building energy efficiency and indoor environmental comfort is leading to a substantial evolution of the traditional concept of the building envelope. The future building skin is required to be responsive and dynamic, actively regulating the flows of heat, light, air and water from outdoor to indoor and vice versa, in order to effectively respond to ever-changing climatic conditions, occupant comfort and energy efficiency requirements. In the framework of a decade-long research activity on Advanced Integrated Facade, AIF, a new Multifunctional Facade Module called ACTRESS has been conceived: the ACTive, RESponsive and Solar envelope is designed …to play different roles through its ability to change its thermo-physical behaviour in order to suit the different environmental conditions. This paper briefly illustrates the ACTRESS MFM concept and its functional strategies, focusing on the simulation and the assessment of the performance of such a dynamic envelope. The numerical study was conducted in order to evaluate the potential energy savings achievable with such a facade and to evaluate different functional strategies and options. The evaluation of the performance in terms of energy savings was done at both component and whole-building level. Moreover this work presents an example of the applicability of Building Performance Simulation tools to the design of an innovative and dynamic facade system, discussing the capability of BPS software in simulating and evaluating the performance of such systems. The results show that the ACTRESS MFM can effectively reduce the total primary energy consumption of an office building up to 55% compared with a reference facade complying with national regulations. On the other hand modelling assumptions and simplifications are needed in order to evaluate the performance of such a system with BPS software, representing a barrier to the design and the adoption of advanced facade systems in the building industry. Show more

Keywords: Double-skin facade, advanced integrated facade, adaptive building envelope, building performance simulation

DOI: 10.3233/FDE-150038

Citation: Journal of Facade Design and Engineering, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 105-127, 2015

Authors: Ritter, Volker | Matschi, Christoph | Schwarz, Dietrich

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: The energy demand for operating modern office spaces is often driven by either the annual heating demand, cooling demand or the demand for electrical lighting. The irradiation of the sun directly and indirectly affects the demand of all three. Consequently, the glazing of higher office buildings is often treated with coating that allows a fixed transmittance. Due to changing exterior conditions and interior needs, a fix-transmittance value is a compromise and most often doesn’t provide optimal thermal and visual conditions. The team in the research project named Fluidglass develops a new glazing in which the transmittance of the glazing can …be adjusted. This is possible by colouring a fluid, which is circulated in chambers of the glazing. The concentration of the colorant can be infinitely adjusted. In addition, this window allows collecting heat in the exterior fluid and allows the interior fluid chamber to operate as heating panel. This paper presents a first assessment of different control strategies for adjusting the colorant concentration with a simplified model. The assessed control strategies result in considerably different overall energy demands. Certain control strategies have high potential for reducing the energy demand for heating and cooling depending on the locations (Munich 20–30% , Madrid 50–70% , Dubai 50–60%). However, certain control strategies increase the electricity demand for lighting, which needs to be considered in the further development. In general, control strategies that only consider the solar irradiation are less promising strategies in temperate climate than strategies that also take the interior temperature into account. The results of controls that also respect the thermal comfort based on a Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) index can achieve low energy demand, presuming that a deviation from the highest level of comfort is acceptable. At this stage of research, none of the studied control strategies shows to be optimal for all climate conditions to achieve highest energy reductions. Further research is necessary in the development of a control strategy that can universally be applied. Show more

Keywords: Adaptive facade, shading control, control strategies, energy reduction

DOI: 10.3233/FDE-130036

Citation: Journal of Facade Design and Engineering, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 129-141, 2015

Authors: Perino, Marco | Serra, Valentina

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: The key role of the building envelope in attaining building energy efficiency and satisfactory indoor comfort has long been established. Nevertheless, until recent times, all efforts and attention have mainly been focused on increasing and optimizing the thermal insulation of the envelope components. This strategy was a winning approach for a long time, but its limitations became obvious when users and designers started to consider the overall energy demand of a building and started to aim for Zero Energy Building (ZEB) or nearly ZEB goals. New and more revolutionary concepts and technologies needed to be developed to satisfy such challenging …requirements. The potential benefits of this technological development are relevant since the building envelope plays a key role in controlling the energy and mass flows from outdoors to indoors (and vice versa) and, moreover, the facades offer a significant opportunity for solar energy exploitation. Several researches have demonstrated that the limitation of the existing facades could be overcome only by switching from ‘static’ to ‘responsive’ and ‘dynamic’ systems, such as Multifunctional Facade Modules (MFMs) and Responsive Building Elements (RBE). These components are able to continuously and pro-actively react to outdoor and indoor environment conditions and facilitate and enhance the exploitation of renewable and low exergy sources. In order to reduce the energy demand, to maximize the indoor comfort conditions and to produce energy at the site, these almost ‘self-sufficient’, or even ‘positive energy’ building skins frequently incorporate different technologies and are functionally connected to other building services and installations. An overview of the technological evolution of the building envelope that has taken place, ranging from traditional components to the innovative skins, will be given in this paper, while focusing on the different approaches that have characterized this development. Examples of innovative solutions for responsive and dynamic components and the future trends of development will also be described. Show more

Keywords: Adaptive building envelope, responsive building envelope, multifunctional facade, Phase ChangeMaterials (PCMs), thermotropic glazing, advanced integrated facades

DOI: 10.3233/FDE-150039

Citation: Journal of Facade Design and Engineering, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 143-163, 2015

Authors: Kassem, Mohamad | Mitchell, Donald

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Building facade has a significant impact on the environmental and economic performance of buildings and projects. The specification of their elements at the early design phase depends on numerous technical, environmental and economic factors and involves several stakeholders. The procurement and delivery of the facade work package from the early design phase, through detailed design and manufacture, to installation is a process with several inherent risk factors due to the involved cost, technical and engineering complexities and its position on the critical path in all projects. This research investigates the process of selection and specification of building facade elements at …the early design phases with the overarching aim of identifying the issues affecting specification decisions, their root causes and impact on projects. The research utilizes a mixed research approach which combines a retrospective case study and an industry survey as two research methods that build on each other. The findings suggest that the complexity of specification at the early design phases is exacerbated by factors such as the inadequate technical knowledge of stakeholders involved in the decision making process, the non-involvement of building facade consultants, the late involvement of specialist facade subcontractors, and in a few cases by some commercial exclusivity agreements that restricts specification decisions. Show more

Keywords: Building facade, business process, curtain wall

DOI: 10.3233/FDE-150037

Citation: Journal of Facade Design and Engineering, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 165-183, 2015

Authors: Karanouh, Abdulmajid | Kerber, Ethan

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: High performance adaptive solutions are capable of responding to the dynamic nature of users and context. These innovative and dynamic systems are steadily gaining ground over ubiquitous ‘best fit’ static models. These architectural elements often exist beyond the scope of mainstream building standards and traditional methods for data representation or communication. This presents major challenges to a highly standardized and compartmentalized industry in which ‘innovation’ is limited to a few signature practices that design iconic yet expensive structures, which often prioritize aesthetics over performance. This paper offers an overview of the benefits that integrated dynamic systems bring to buildings. Through …an examination of an applied practice, this paper offers guidelines for communicating complex geometry in a clear design language across interdisciplinary collaborations. The use of diagrammatic grammar to translate underlying algorithmic rules into instructions for design allows complex, innovative solutions to be realized more effectively. The ideas presented here are based on the design principles of the competition-winning scheme of the Al-Bahr Towers. As lead consultant in Innovation Design & Research at AHR (former Aedas-UK), Abdulmajid Karanouh designed and spearheaded this project in close collaboration with Arup. The buildings won the Best Innovation Award 2012 by the Council for Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH). The pair of towers won recognition for its performance-driven form, and dynamic facade that operates following the movement of the sun. Show more

Keywords: Innovation, dynamic, adaptive facade, Al-Bahr Towers

DOI: 10.3233/FDE-150040

Citation: Journal of Facade Design and Engineering, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 185-221, 2015