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At present, buildings are increasingly being designed with transparent materials, with glass paneling being especially popular as an installation material due to its architectural allure. However, its major drawback is admitting impractical amounts of sunlight into interior spaces. Office buildings with excessive sunlight in indoor areas lead to worker inefficiency. This article studied kinetic façades as means to provide suitable sunlight for interior spaces, integrated with a triple-identity DNA structure, photosynthetic behavior, and the twist, which was divided into generation and evaluation. The generating phase first used an evolutionary engine to produce potential strip patterns. The kinetic façade was subsequently evaluated using the Climate Studio software to validate daylight admission in an indoor space with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) version 4.1 criteria. To analyze the kinetic façade system, the building envelope was divided into four types: glass panel, static façade, rotating façade (the kinetic façade, version 1); an existing kinetic façade that is commonly seen in the market, and twisting façade (the kinetic façade, version 2); the kinetic façade that uses the process to invent the new identity of the façade. In addition, for both the rotating façade and twisting façade, the degrees of simulation were 20, 50, 80, and 100 degrees, in order to ascertain the potential for both façades to the same degree. Comparing all façades receiving the daylight factor (DF) into the space with more or less sunlight resulted in a decreasing order of potential, as follows: entirely glass façade, twisting façade (the kinetic façade, version 2), rotating façade (the kinetic façade, version 1), and static façade. By receiving the daylight factor (DF), the façade moderately and beneficially filtered appropriate amounts of daylight into the working space. The daylight simulation results indicated that the newly designed kinetic façade (version 2) had more potential than other building envelope types in terms of filtering beneficial daylight in indoor areas. This article also experimented with the kinetic façade prototype in an actual situation to test conditional environmental potential. The twisting façade (the kinetic façade, version 2) was explored in the building envelope with varied adaptability to provide sunlight and for private-to-public, public-to-private, or semi-public working areas.

Wood is one of the most fully renewable building materials, so wood instead of non-renewable materials produced from organic energy sources significantly reduces the environmental impact. Construction products can be replenished at the end of their working life and their elements and components deconstructed in a closed-loop manner to act as a material for potential construction. Materials passports (MPs) are instruments for incorporating circular economy principles (CEP) into structures. Material passports (MPs) consider all the building’s life cycle (BLC) steps to ensure that it can be reused and transformed several times. The number of reuse times and the operating life of the commodity greatly influence the environmental effects incorporated. For a new generation of buildings, the developing of an elegant kinetic wooden façade has become a necessity. It represents a multidisciplinary region with different climatic, fiscal, constructional materials, equipment, and programs, and ecology-influencing design processes and decisions. Based on an overview of the material’s environmental profile (MEP) and material passport (MP) definition in the design phase, this article attempts to establish and formulate an analytical analysis of the wood selection process used to produce a kinetic façade. The paper will analyze the importance of environmentally sustainable construction and a harmonious architectural environment to reduce harmful human intervention on the environment. It will examine the use of wooden panels on buildings’ façades as one solution to building impact on the environment. It will show the features of the formation of the wooden exterior of the building. It will also examine modern architecture that enters into a dialogue with the environment, giving unique flexibility to adapt a building. The study finds that new buildings can be easily created today. The concept of building materials passport and the environmental selection of the kinetic wooden façade can be incorporated into the building design process. This will improve the economic and environmental impact of the building on human life.

Kinetic façades represent an emerging frontier in building-integrated energy systems, offering new pathways for on-site renewable generation through dynamic interaction with environmental forces. This Paper investigates the engineering potential of wind-responsive kinetic façades as decentralized energy-harvesting systems. While solar-based façades are well established, the integration of wind energy through motion-induced or piezoelectric conversion remains underexplored. The study develops a conceptual framework describing the energy transfer mechanisms, structural components, and control parameters governing façade-based energy harvesting. Representative case studies are analysed to assess performance, scalability, and system reliability under varying aerodynamic and mechanical conditions. The findings underscore the feasibility of hybrid façades combining adaptive panel motion with piezoelectric or electromagnetic transduction to convert kinetic energy from low-speed urban winds. Although individual units currently produce limited power outputs, modular arrays can provide meaningful contributions to distributed low-power loads, such as environmental monitoring or façade automation. The review concludes by outlining key research challenges in material optimization, power conditioning, and integration with building management systems, emphasizing the need for standardized testing and simulation models to advance kinetic façades as functional components of future building energy infrastructures.

The design and construction of adaptive façades have garnered increasing attention as a means to enhance the energy performance and sustainability of high-rise residential buildings. Adaptive façades can dynamically respond to environmental conditions, reducing reliance on energy-intensive systems and improving occupant comfort. Despite their potential, research on adaptive façade systems in the context of high-rise residential buildings, particularly in Australia, remains limited. This study aims to bridge this gap by identifying the key design parameters, challenges, and optimisation methods for adaptive façades. Through a combination of a comprehensive literature review and 15 semi-structured interviews with industry experts, this research provides insights into the design and performance of adaptive façades. The key findings reveal that the successful implementation of adaptive façades depends on a range of factors, including material choices, shading system typologies, and advanced simulation tools for energy performance analysis. A significant outcome of the study is the development of a conceptual framework that incorporates these design elements with environmental factors and building energy simulation, offering a structured approach to optimise adaptive façade performance. The framework assists architects and engineers in creating energy-efficient, sustainable high-rise residential buildings tailored to the Australian context. Additionally, the study highlights critical challenges, such as financial barriers, regulatory gaps, and the need for improved maintenance strategies, which must be addressed to facilitate the broader adoption of adaptive façades in the residential sector.

A building's façade is its main interface with the external environment. Adaptive façade, one recent invention in the façade industry, has the capability to change its behaviour in real-time to respond to internal and/or external parameters, by means of materials, components, and systems. Among these, the adaptive shading and the façade glazing are two components that must fit together. This paper focuses on the spatial relationship between these components. It presents the results of the morphological analysis of façades with adaptive shading systems and the spatial relation between the adaptive shading system and the building's glass envelope. To characterise this relation, we formulated two measures: depth and distance. The results revealed four types of such relations: (i) the shading elements are located outside the building's glass envelope, (ii) they are covered by the glass envelope, (iii) they are located between the layers of the glazing façade, and (iv) they represent thin coatings that are flush with the surface of the glass. These results provide important insights into the emergence of new aesthetical trends in architecture, especially given the most recent technologies adopted in façades. In conclusion, we bring empirical evidence that the location of the shading system in relation to the glass envelope of a building is the key morphological feature that determines the extent of spatial transformation of the architectural structure on which such a system is installed.

The deployment of renewable energy in the construction industry has emerged as a crucial topic due to the building sector’s substantial energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) offers a promising solution, replacing conventional building materials with solar energy-generating components. Moreover, retrofitting commercial buildings with BIPV and kinetic façades present an innovative approach to improve energy efficiency and enhance occupant well-being. Adaptive façades, capable of responding to varying climatic conditions, play a pivotal role in reducing energy consumption while ensuring thermal and visual comfort for occupants. By integrating solar generation and shading capabilities, BIPV kinetic façades deliver dual benefits, optimizing energy performance and reducing lifecycle costs, compared to traditional PV systems. Furthermore, effective daylighting strategies not only contribute to energy savings but also positively impact occupant productivity and comfort. Despite predominant research focusing on energy aspects, there is a notable gap in comprehensive assessments that integrate environmental, economic, and daylighting considerations. Therefore, evaluating Australian commercial buildings’ energy and daylighting performance with BIPV kinetic façades provides valuable insights for advancing sustainable building designs and operations in the region. The implementation of kinetic BIPV façades in Melbourne reduced energy consumption by 18% and covered 26% of energy demand, achieving the target daylighting levels.

When designing a façade, it is essential to consider the impact of daylight and how it can be optimized through external movable shading devices. To accurately evaluate the lighting performance of a kinetic facade, it is crucial to consider the operation of these shading devices, as they can significantly impact performance. This study proposes a high-precision methodology that utilizes digital tools and hourly data to examine the effectiveness of dynamic shading device systems in enhancing daylight performance and optimizing shading configurations using the Genetic Optimization algorithm. The study’s results demonstrate that the proposed methodology is accurate and effective, showing that the optimal operation scenario can exceed LEED v4.1 requirements while meeting daylight availability standards. Designers can achieve optimal performance by adjusting each parameter for a lighting energy-conserving kinetic façade. The limitations and applicability of this method are also discussed.

Constant challenges, environmental threats, and rapid changes of living conditions on the earth make it necessary to seriously take up the topic of resilience and sustainability. The interdisciplinary and holistic approach is more important than ever before, and engineering science is required to adapt to global conditions. This article presents the results of research aimed at the identification of sustainability-related parameters for kinetic green façades in the preliminary design phase and evaluation of current decision support tools. The authors carried out the comparative analysis of existing decision support methods and tools for sustainable development, used in fields and disciplines such as architectural design, environmental engineering, and structural design. The particular focus of the research was on the preliminary concept design of kinetic green façades. Specific methods such as forecasting and backcasting linked to post-occupancy evaluation tools were also taken into account. Parametric modeling based on optimization algorithms was recognized as the most adequate method. As a result of the conducted research, the steps to be taken at the early design stage for sustainable façade design were identified based on the example of the innovative system of kinetic green façade. The first step is to determine the design criteria of the façade considering the factors related to climate, culture, environment, and special design requirements. In the next step, the design parameters of the façade system are defined depending on the aforementioned criteria. In the third step, system design and modeling are done. Finally, the performance of the façade system is evaluated. If the desired performance is not achieved, the designer returns to the 2nd and 3rd steps. These last three steps of the preliminary design stage of sustainable façade systems are critical since they allow us for the façade design optimization, which in turn has a significant influence on the whole building performance and sustainability parameters.

In recent years, kinetic facades have emerged as a suitable alternative for building skins that meet the demands for comfort factors of inside and outside environment and aesthetic criteria. This paper demonstrates a novel transformable geometric pattern inspired by Persian Architecture that provides an environmentally protective yet aesthetically pleasing building skin. This novel skin that is used for building facades is composed of geometric modular units mainly consisting of two kinds of scissor-like element (SLE): simple scissor-like elements and modified scissor-like elements which are linked together by movable joints. These units can be connected together to create a transformable system attached to the existing or new buildings or be used for a particular part of a building. This paper presents a research-based design project using a rarely used SLE system for transformable building facade. In this methodology, in the first stage, a library study was used to find, categorize and evaluate the transformable building skins using SLE systems. In the second stage, an experimental study was carried out to evaluate the best movement strategies for SLE units that employ the most efficient activation and driving system for the proposed geometry. In the final stage through physical and digital model making process, the alternatives derived from the previous stage were analyzed and the best transformation strategies that best suit the selected design was chosen. The result of this paper is a proposal for a transformable grid of SLE systems that can be attached to existing or new building façade and is not only able to control the environmental condition of the building, but it can also change its appearance during a course of a day. The transformation mechanism used in this design is a combination of two types of scissor structure employing pivotal and rotary movement supported on the tracks provided on the building façade.

Centralized daylight control has been extensively studied for its ability to optimize useful daylight while mitigating glare in targeted areas. However, this approach lacks a comprehensive visual comfort framework, as it does not simultaneously address spatial glare distribution, uniform high useful daylight levels across all sensor points, and overheating prevention through regulated annual solar exposure. Nevertheless, decentralized control facilitates autonomous operation of the individual façade components, addressing all the objectives. This study integrates a biomimetic functional approach with building performance simulations by computational design to evaluate different kinetic façade configurations. Through the implementation of parametric modeling and daylight analysis, we have identified an optimal angular configuration (60° for the focal region, 50° for the non-focal region) that significantly increases building performance. The optimized design demonstrates substantial improvements, reducing excessive sunlight exposure by 45–55% and glare incidence by 65–72% compared to other dynamic solutions. The recommended steeper angles achieve superior performance, maintaining high useful daylight illuminance (UDI > 91.5%) while dramatically improving visual comfort. Sensitivity analysis indicates that even minor angular adjustments (5–10°) can induce a 10–15% variation in glare performance, emphasizing the necessity of precise control mechanisms in both focal and non-focal regions of the façade. These findings establish a framework for creating responsive building façades that balance daylight provision with occupant comfort in real-time operation.