Smart facades
Glass-fronted office buildings can be very energy intensive, requiring significant heating in the winter and cooling in the summer to create comfortable conditions for occupants.
Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology IWU in Dresden teamed up with the Department of Textile and Surface Design at Weissensee School of Art in Berlin to find a smart solution to this problem.
They created a thermally-reactive blind made up of individual fabric components shaped like flowers, each of which contains an integrated shape-memory actuator made of a nickel-titanium alloy which returns to its original shape when exposed to heat.
When the wires are heated by sunlight they contract to open the textile components, covering the façade and reducing solar gain. When the sun disappears the flowers close and the façade becomes transparent again.
Andre Bucht, researcher and department head at Fraunhofer IW said, “When you bend the wire, it keeps that shape. Then when you expose it to heat, it remembers the shape it had originally and returns to that position. Picture the façade element as a sort of membrane that adapts to weather conditions throughout each day and during the various seasons of the year, providing the ideal amount of shade however strong the sun.”
As the façade uses thermal energy, it doesn’t require an external power source and so is relatively easy to integrate into buildings. It can be attached to external glazing or can be installed in the space in between multi-layer facades. The design is flexible, with different choices of pattern, shape and colour, depending on requirements.
The research team is currently seeking industry partners to develop prototypes that will undergo testing on buildings at the institute, with a view to launching on the market in 2017.
This article was created by --BRE_Buzz. It was originally published on BRE Buzz in September 2015 and was written by Ali Nicholl, Innovation Network Manager at BRE.
Featured articles and news
Construction industry reactions to the election result
ECA, CIAT and more to come as published.
At a Crossroads; Pathways to a Net Zero Future
Background to and summary of this key Renewable UK report.
Installing solar panels on listed structures.
The current and future global market dynamics of boilers
Significant challenges but adaptation to sustain for longer.
Designing sustainability and performance into buildings
Specifying and selecting sustainable resilient timber products.
Modifying wood to improve resistance to decay and movement.
A last minute, long look for built environment professionals.
The architecture of creative reuse. Book review.
Sustainable development global goals, history in progress?
"Unless we act now, the 2030 Agenda will become an epitaph for a world that might have been."
Mike Kagioglou FCIOB named CIOB President
'Sustainable Development Goals must be focus for construction'
BSRIA training; a look at what's on offer
From energy management to compliance training.
TESP video warns to beware of rogue trainers.
Highlighting the slippery tactics of non-approved providers.
New Building Safety Wiki launched
Boosting awareness and understanding of the new fire safety regime.
New playbook on AI in construction published by CIOB
How to get to grips with, and the best from AI.
Digital Construction Report NBS
BIM, cloud, off-site, immersive tech, AI, twins and sustainability.