Today there are many ways devised by architects and engineers which help to decrease the cost of running a building. Several of these involve controlling the amount of sunlight entering a building, as well as how it enters. Light shelves, for example, allow natural daylight into the building while deflecting it. This allows designers to control the angles at which light enters the building, reducing glares. A second type of system, transformable facades, change their shape depending on various factors, either on timers or depending on the amount of light detected by sensors. These designs are used in desert areas where blocking out light is often more important than allowing it to enter. On the other hand, double-skin facades allow light to enter without deflection, but reduce the amount of heat entering by forcing the light to go through a chimney-like system which saps away hot air. These designs can decrease the amount of energy used by the HVAC or lighting systems, as well as providing more natural light for workers. The purpose of this project is to design a system which incorporates these ideas into one design. This project provides some challenges when deciding which parts of each system should be kept and which should be discarded, as well as how the entire facade would operate when completed. The final deliverable is a computer model and a scale model prototype of the design.
The group will be experimenting with transformative facades, such as the facade on the Al Bahar building in Abu Dhabi. They will be attempting to create a new design with a similar function.
Image of sections of the Al Bahar facade in various stages.
Image of supports for the Al Bahar facade viewed from the interior, shown occupying much of the window space of the building.
Preliminary model of facade, showing a few of the sections placed behind a glass barrier on the building's side. This glass barrier, when enclosing the entire building, will also have it's own function in cooling the building.
In addition to civil/architectural engineering, the team includes mechanical, electrial and materials science. So far the design is only showing geometric parameters. What about the other engineering disciplines? Show involvement of the other disciplines--how these disciplines are affecting the design.
ReplyDeleteGood Schedule. Consider adding a references/tutorials tab--would be good to include resource materials that the team is using to support their knowledge base for the project.
There need to be more images to support the project development.