Dynamic facades and adaptive building systems

Introduction:

Buildings are often recognized by the facade that they have, every building has a
completely different facade. This difference is mostly because of the aesthetic
preference. Facade is a very important element of a building not only because of the
aesthetic purposes but also for the reason that it is the membrane which separates
two different spaces and create a completely different environment.

Dynamic facade is nothing but a smart facade system that has a flexibility to alter its
properties for the benefits and comfort of the people inside the building. In today's
world of technology revolution and awareness towards sustainability , we need to
invest more in application of technologically advanced facades systems so that
eventually it results in achieving our goals for sustainable architecture. Dynamic
facade systems play the role of security between building's internal and external
environment. It makes sure how a building react to the outdoor environmental
changes and this allows more resource saving that has a direct relation with the cost
of the building. Not only resources and finances but also it creates a better quality of
indoor environment that adds to the productivity of people in that environment.
Literature review:

With the help of computer aided design softwares and building information and
modelling (BIM), we can now easily analyze the environmental changes that occur
outside and has an impact on the interior of the building. BIM can perform all the
necessary simulations for different environmental conditions which helps the
building façade in taking decision for reacting accordingly after the precise and
critical analysis of the conditions. Objective is not only to do the assessment but to
react to maintain comfortable conditions.

System of dynamic façade has been used in different regions of the world. The
uniqueness in the purpose of each facade is because of the difference in climatic
conditions of those regions. It can also incorporate the seasonal variations in
climate, that provides energy efficiency throughout the year.

Dynamic facades are made to provide the best that is present in the environment
around us. As a smart building envelope, it has many crucial roles to play for a
building to accelerate further in the direction of achieving sustainability goals. From
the optimum amount of daylight entering the building i.e., daylight harvesting, solar
heat gain control, thermal insulation, using brise soleil for glare reduction and many
more, this system has proved to be very efficient in all types of conditions
irrespective of the region they fall in.

Integration of technology in dynamic façade can incredibly increase the potential of

the same. Dynamic facade can communicate with other buildings by being a part of
IoT (Internet of Things) and have a coordinated response to many inputs and
conditions. Data analytics and performance monitoring; machine learning and AI
and building automated systems are some of the examples of technological
advancements that can add to the efficiency and productivity while reducing the
manual interference.

Designing of dynamic façade decides its purpose. At the design stage, role and
functions of the system have to be considered and the process of design must
revolve around it. In order to design a building envelope that can adjust to changing
climatic circumstances, architectural, technical, and technology components must
be carefully considered.